Chapter XXVII
The Alpha Team sat silently around the table, looking at one another with jaws dropped and eyes agog, Finally Eden snapped her mouth shut audibly and shook her head. “That has to be the craziest thing I ’ve ever heard. Why would that asshat think we would help him for any reason?? They are our friends and family.”
“So is Isaac, and he seems to have taken Ares ’ side,” Artemis commented.
“No,” Jake said, shaking his head vehemently as he stood. “Not buying it.” He held up his hands to quell the questions he could see in his comrades ’ faces. “Hear me out. I know he tried to stake some kind of claim earlier, but I ’m not sure it was him. Ike ’s been acting weird since we encountered the Nebula, and only when the song changed did he start actively pursuing Az. I ’m not convinced there ’s not something else driving him to do it.”
“You don ’t think I can claim Arianna on my own, Jake? Is that what you ’re saying?” Isaac asked belligerently as he leaned against the doorframe. “I ’m pretty sure I ’m man enough to go after what I want.”
“I never said you weren ’t, Ike. I ’m just not sure you ’re the one choosing what you want right now.” Jacob paused and glanced around the room without fully taking his eyes off Isaac ’s tense form. “I mean... did you ever consider that your physical pain might be being caused because you were at odds with yourself?”
“What?! C ’mon, Jake - that ’s reaching... even for you.”
“Not really,” Luke cut in. “And it makes a lot of sense. If your mind and body are out of synch, it can manifest itself as a massive amount of physical pain.”
“That blasted music is causing my pain. Eli already figured that out. It ’s doing the same thing to her, remember?”
“It did. But when the song changed, she was no longer affected by it... and neither was Arianna.”
“What do you mean – when the song changed?? It ’s still the same painful, nerve-racking misery it was before!! Only now there are periodic spikes of agony!!” Isaac slammed his fist into the metal doorjamb, causing it to bend beneath his strength. “She did this!! She did this to me so that she could keep Arianna for herself!! I ’m gonna go....” Isaac turned to leave the mess hall and almost ran over Aphrodite. “Who in blazes are you??”
“My name ’s Aphrodite, and I think we need to talk.”
“Do I know you? Should I know you?? And how did you get aboard this ship??” He looked around the room, only then noticing Artemis and Athena. “Who are all you people??”
“Maybe you should sit down, Isaac,” Aphrodite offered.
“I don ’t think so,” he growled. “You ’re trying to keep me from Arianna. Now get out of my way!” shoving her roughly. Aphrodite stumbled backward, but was caught by her sisters who had shifted to back her up instinctively. He tried to shove through again, but this time Athena pushed back, causing him to land on his ass.
“I ’m sorry, Isaac. You don ’t have to listen and you don ’t have to believe us. But we ’re not going to allow you to take any kind of forceful action against us or anyone else. When you finally get back to yourself, you ’re going to regret a lot of what is happening right now.”
“You don ’t know what you ’re talking about!” as he scrambled to his feet.
“Perhaps,” Athena agreed. “But if there ’s a chance I ’m right, and we can mitigate the damage....”
“The damage to Eli, you mean. Why is she so much more important than the rest of us?? What makes her so damned special??”
“The damage to all of you, Isaac. You can ’t see that now, but you will. As for Eli, she ’s the one with the target on her back – a target she carries through no fault of her own, but simply because of who she is and who she has been for all of her lifetimes.”
“What?! You ’re saying she ’s the reason for all this??” He turned to his teammates. “Now do you believe me??”
“Isaac, sit down and shut up before I kick your ass into a different quadrant,” Eden said as she stepped right into his personal space and crossed her arms over her chest. “Don ’t think I can ’t,” glaring at him. “I ’m stronger than ever thanks to Eli; I ’m not going to let you continue to malign her because you ’re a moron.”
Blood suffused his face, turning his skin a bright red. “You don ’t get to talk to me that way just because you don ’t like what I ’m saying, Eden,” he spat, pointing a finger in her face. “I ’m still part of this team!”
She grabbed his finger and twisted, watching dispassionately as he sank to his knees trying to loosen her grip. “You ’re going to learn one day not to try and intimidate with your size and to not go sticking your fingers where they don ’t belong.” She squeezed once hard before releasing his hand. “And if you ’re still a part of this team, then you better start acting like it – you ’re the one trying to destroy everything we ’ve built together.”
He looked at her as confusion passed over his face. “Huh? What do you mean?? I ’m the only one trying to keep us from being annihilated.”
“No, Isaac. You ’re the danger here. Now sit down and shut up and listen to what Aphrodite and her sisters have to say. Maybe then you ’ll get a grasp on what ’s truly happening.”
“Do it, Ike,” Jacob advised. “For all of us.”
Isaac looked around at all of his friends, grimacing when he realized they were all nodding their agreement. With a glower, he dragged himself off the floor and dropped into the nearest chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Go ahead,” he gestured. “Apparently, I don ’t have a choice.”
“There ’s always a choice, Isaac, but it would behoove you to listen. You really don ’t want to have regrets later.”
Isaac snorted. “The only regret I have I letting Arianna get away when I should have claimed her. But please,” he added sarcastically, waving a hand in her direction. “Science forbid that I don ’t allow you to speak.”
Aphrodite nodded and gracefully took a seat beside him, discretely motioning the rest to the periphery of the room. “Thank you, Isaac. I think you ’ll find this story... enlightening.”
“Then please,” with more than a hint of snark, “do tell on.”
************
“What do you think I should do about Isaac?” Eli asked as they went through their evening ablutions together.
“What do you want to do?”
Eli snickered. “What I ’d like to do is to smack some sense into that thick skull of his. What I ’m going to do....” She sighed and shrugged, looking at the ground a moment before meeting Arianna ’s eyes in the mirror squarely. “What do you want me to do?”
Arianna shrugged. “I meant what I said about not standing between you if he tried to stake his claim on me again.” She rinsed her mouth and wiped the excess wetness from her lips before wrapping her arms around Eli ’s thin waist and resting her head on the folded wings that twitched beneath her touch. “I made a mistake during our last trip through the circle when I allowed my father to dictate terms to me and push you out of my life. I will not permit anything or anyone to come between us ever again.”
“So you want me to...?” turning in Arianna ’s embrace and wrapping both arms around narrow shoulders.
“Do what you need to do, Amado,” Arianna said as brown eyes met green. “Do what it takes to make Isaac understand he has no right and no claim. But remember that Isaac is still part of our team and that he is being used by the enemy.”
“You know if I transform fully into my dragon form, he runs a very real risk of dying at my hand. As a humanoid, I don ’t always play well with others and sharing is not my forte. As a dragon...” She shrugged. “I don ’t play... except with you. And I don ’t share at all.”
“Whether you confront him as a humanoid or as a dragon, I will be standing right beside you. I won ’t let you do too much damage to him.”
Eli snorted. “All things being equal, you mean?”
Arianna grinned and hugged Eli hard. “Yes... exactly.” She unwrapped herself from Eli ’s body and caught one hand in her own. “Come on,” she said around a yawn. “I am so tired; I just want to wrap up together for a while and get some sleep.”
“That is the best idea I ’ve heard in a while,” Eli agreed through a yawn of her own. “Maybe we can dream together again.”
Arianna arched an eyebrow. “As long as they are good dreams.”
Eli smiled. “As long as we ’re together at the end of it, they will be. Maybe it will help us to bond a little more.” She shifted slightly and curled her body around Arianna ’s. “Aphrodite seemed to think it was important.”
“You don ’t?”
Eli nipped at the juncture of Arianna ’s neck and shoulder, laving it lightly when Arianna squawked in outrage before turning to give her a look. “You know I do. I just don ’t think we should rush the process. It will be harder to undo any damage we do than it will be to get things right the first time.”
“Hmm,” Arianna replied as she snuggled back into Eli ’s warmth. “I ’m just glad we have the chance to try.”
Eli kissed her neck. “Me too. I love you, Beloved.”
“As I love you, Amado.”
Silence fell between them as they drifted into sleep, and in moments, darkness fell throughout their quarters.
************
Isaac just stared at them for a long moment when Aphrodite finished speaking. Then he roared with laughter. After a minute, he visibly calmed himself and wiped at his eyes. “Seriously? You expect me to believe that – that some god has coerced me into pursuing Arianna for my own?? Like I told Jake earlier, I ’m pretty sure I ’m man enough to claim Arianna myself. I don ’t need some sort of freak being to help me out.”
“Then why now, Isaac?” Aphrodite asked softly, ignoring the flinch she ’d felt run through her and her sisters at being referred to as freak beings. “What is so urgent that you need to force a claim on her now? You had several opportunities before, and Arianna shut you down each time you tried.”
“That ’s because she didn ’t remember what we were to one another!”
“But she remembers that past life now – and she still refused your advances. So why is this so important to you?? Maybe you should figure that out first. Because you gave up any claim to her affections when you blessed her joining to Eli.”
“Because I didn ’t know!!!”
“And it doesn ’t change the fact that she turned you down – before she knew all that Eli was to her; after she and Eli exchanged vows; and especially after she learned of her actions in her past life. No matter what you think you feel or know or deserve, the fact remains that Arianna has consistently spurned your amorous gestures. Even in your previous life, she never chose you. She chose to protect Eli... even when that meant it destroyed what they had together.”
“You don ’t know that.”
“I do… and so do you. Deep down in your heart, you know it ’s the truth.”
“I don ’t have to listen to this!” Isaac roared as he jumped from his seat. He stomped to the door, then whirled around as he reached the threshold. “I get that none of you are on my side in this. Just leave me alone and stay out of my way.” He walked out before anyone could respond.
Everyone looked around the room at each other in the uncomfortable silence that followed Isaac ’s departure. Finally Aphrodite ran a hand through her curls and sighed. “That could have gone a lot better.”
“It also could have been much, much worse,” Eden replied. “We ’ll do what we can to assuage the consequences of Isaac ’s actions, but it ’s gone too far to stop him. We need to let this play out.”
“Why can ’t we just anesthetize him until whatever that Ares asshat did to him wears off?” from Titus.
“Because it won ’t. It ’s going to build until it explodes – one way or another. We just need to make sure Isaac doesn ’t do any real damage to himself or anyone else until this is over. I ’ll see if I can work out a reasonable schedule where we can keep an eye on him,” Eden replied.
“And Eli? What about her? Do we really think we have any influence on her when she ’s a dragon?”
“No. But I ’m counting on the fact that Az does. Eli will do anything to protect Az – humanoid or dragon – I have to believe that she ’ll know we ’re protecting Az too.”
“And if she doesn ’t? Eden, that ’s a hell of a risk.”
“I know, Jake. But I don ’t think we ’re going to have a choice.” She pushed off the wall she was leaning against. “C ’mon,” then looked at the three goddesses. “How long til this all goes down?”
“If we have it figured right, it should be within sixty-eight of your standard hours. He has to make a move by then or this lifetime becomes forfeit in regards to his interference. He ’s not going to miss this opportunity.”
Eden stared at Athena for another long minute, trying to decipher just what exactly wasn ’t being said, but Athena never balked under her regard. Eden shrugged and turned her attention to her fellow teammates. “All right,” she said. “C ’mon, guys. I don ’t know about the rest of you, but I could use a few minutes of sleep before all this goes down.”
“What about a guard for Isaac?” Deborah asked. “Wouldn ’t the best time for him to try something be when we ’re all sleeping?”
“We ’ll watch,” Artemis assured them. “But we think he ’ll wait to make a stand when everyone is awake – so you ’ll see how right he was. That way, you ’ll finally back his claim.”
“Aphrodite, how much of this is he going to remember?”
Dite stared into Abigail ’s sorrowful blue eyes. “I ’m thinking he ’s totally gonna remember the whole craptastic situation. But there ’s nothing we can do about it now. We ’ll have to worry about it when the time comes. For now, you all need some sleep. We ’ll be here in case anything happens in the meantime, but like Artie said, we expect Isaac to wait until he has an audience. Ares has something to prove, and he ’s gonna want witnesses.”
“He really thinks he can win?” Esther asked.
“It ’s all he ’s got left.” The Alpha Team glanced at one another, then the goddesses before exiting the mess hall silently and heading toward their rooms. The goddesses waited until they were sure everyone was ensconced in their quarters before risking a glance at each other. Then they separated to set up their monitoring units, knowing a lot depended on them now.
************
“Ares.”
It took a moment, but Isaac ’s soft call was soon answered by the non-theatrical appearance of the dark god he had seen in his quarters once before. Ares crossed his arms over his chest and smiled forebodingly. “You rang?”
Isaac took a minute to size the other man up. Ares was tall, though not as large as Isaac himself; muscular, though not bulky like Isaac. But the biggest difference was the confidence and power that seemed to radiate through him. Ares had a swagger even standing perfectly still and he was cocky and self-assured to the point of being smug as his eyebrow crawled up toward his hairline. Isaac swallowed hard and cleared his throat. “I ’ve decided. I want Arianna.”
Ares smile became a predator ’s grin. “Excellent. And your teammates?”
Isaac glanced at the floor before returning his gaze to Ares and offering a slight shrug. “I don ’t want them deliberately targeted, but if they interfere or get in the way, I ’m not responsible for what happens to them, right?”
Ares smirked. “Right,” he drawled. “Do you think they will?”
“I dunno. I know they ’re on Eli ’s side in all this, so maybe?”
Ares straightened from his spot in the corner and crossed into the light to stand at Isaac ’s side. “Well then, I suppose they ’ll deserve whatever consequences befall them, won ’t they? Here,” he continued before Isaac could question him further, extending his hand to Isaac. Isaac opened his hand automatically to receive whatever it was Ares was giving him, and was surprised by the coolness of the metal circlet that was placed there.
“What ’s this?”
“This is your way to defeat Eli. Once this is put around her wrist or ankle, it will prevent her from being able to transform. If she can ’t utilize her dragon self against you....”
“ ... she can ’t defeat me. And once I ’ve defeated her, Arianna will be mine!” excitement coloring his voice.
“Something like that,” Ares agreed solemnly, though his expression told a different story. “You just need to make sure it ’s fastened securely. Once it ’s locked in place, no one will be able to remove it.”
“It won ’t do permanent damage to her, will it? I mean she ’s totally pissed me off and everything, but the team really does need her.”
“You ’ll be the one causing the damage, Isaac, so I suppose that is completely up to you. But don ’t be surprised if she doesn ’t surrender regardless of what you inflict upon her. She was never one to quit or give up.” Isaac frowned, wondering if those tall tales the goddess women had shared with him had been closer to the truth then he was willing to acknowledge. But before he could question further, Ares put a hand on his shoulder. “It doesn ’t matter. Just make sure you use this as soon as you see her again. The enchantment on it won ’t last forever and it does get weaker over time.” Isaac nodded. “Good luck, Isaac.”
“Yeah,” he said distractedly as he studied the object in his hand. “Thanks, Ares.” He didn ’t notice the malevolent look he got as Ares faded from sight.
Chapter XXVIII
Isaac was smiling as he strode through the corridors early the next morning. He had seriously considered trying to sneak into Eli ’s quarters and fastening the bracelet on her while she was still soundly sleeping and unable to stop him. But regardless of his feelings towards Eli, invading their privacy like that was a breech of promise to the whole team, and he didn ’t want that going against him as well. Besides, he realized he wanted an audience to witness her humiliation at his hands. Maybe then they would all recognize the truth of his words and acknowledge that Eli was the real danger among them. And in truth, he had no desire to see Arianna in Eli ’s arms for any reason... even in the innocence of sleep.
He walked into the mess hall – that went completely silent the moment he crossed the threshold. Ignoring the fact that almost everyone rose and exited, Isaac made his way to the cabinets to retrieve his meal packet, then took a seat at one of the empty tables. He spared a look at Titus and Paul – the only two of his teammates that had remained in the room with him.
“You sure you wanna be in here with me? I know you ’re not on my side.”
“That doesn ’t make you less our teammate or our friend, Ike,” Titus said. “It just means we have a difference of opinion on something. Isn ’t that true for all of us about something?”
“Maybe,” he shrugged as he shoved a spoonful of his breakfast into his mouth. “But the fact remains that you all picked Eli over me.”
“Ike, you would pick Eli over you if you were thinking in your right mind.”
“Really?” he asked slowly as he chewed the remainder of his meal. “Did it ever occur to you that I might just now be in my right mind? That coming here finally made things clear for me?”
“Given the amount of suffering you ’ve had to endure since we got within range of the Nebula?” Paul asked. “You ’re just lying to yourself. And once your mind clears, you ’re gonna realize that and hate yourself for what you ’re doing right now. Those are gonna be regrets you ’re always gonna have, and we don ’t want that – none of us do.”
“You just worry about yourselves – I can take care of me just fine.” Without another word, he deposited his garbage in the recycler and left the mess hall. Titus and Paul exchanged glances.
“There is just no good way for this to end, is there?”
“It ’s not gonna be a day in the sun... that much is sure.”
Titus lifted his comm unit to his lips as Paul followed Isaac toward the med bay.
************
“Hey, Doc – you got a minute?” Isaac asked as he stepped into the infirmary. He didn ’t notice that his teammates were quietly ensconced around the room. They had anticipated this when Eli and Arianna had walked into the mess hall uninjured. Aphrodite had obviously been accurate in her assessment of the situation, and they weren ’t going to leave Eli alone until things were finally resolved... one way or another.
They had all actually been in the infirmary discussing – arguing – the necessity of keeping an eye on Eli, Arianna and Isaac to prevent anything from happening between them until Ares time ran out when the call from Titus alerted them that Isaac was on his way down to them. They scattered strategically throughout the med bay to see what new development was coming. Now they waited for Eli to respond to Isaac ’s innocent query.
She took a moment to school her expression, reminding herself that Isaac was not acting solely of his own accord. The fact that she had sworn an oath to do her best for these people regardless of the circumstances helped her inject a trace of warmth into her voice. ”Of course, Isaac. What can I do for you?”
Isaac frowned. Surely Eli remembered threatening him – remembered that they were competitors for Arianna ’s affections. Why was she suddenly pretending to care about him now? He started when she reached out a warm hand and gave him a gentle squeeze on the forearm. He saw her lips move, but he couldn ’t distinguish the words she said. Instead, he realized he had been handed a golden opportunity, and without warning, clamped down on her wrist and locked the bracelet in place. Then he met her eyes with a triumphant grin.
“Nothing,” he chortled. “You can ’t do a thing for me, and you can ’t do a thing to me either... not now.”
Eli looked at the circlet clasped around her wrist and felt a wash of red rage course through her. She clutched it tightly, tugging with all her considerable strength, but it didn ’t budge. She looked up at Isaac in panic. “What have you done?” feeling the fury begin burning out of control.
“I evened the odds – in my favor, of course. I ’m challenging you for the right to claim Arianna as your mate.” He got right into her face and sneered. “She ’s. MINE.”
“Beloved,” Eli called, though her voice was a mere whisper. Arianna rushed to her side and started pulling on the bracelet, all the time reassuring Eli with her voice.
“It ’s all right, Amado. I ’m here – I ’m right here.”
“I ’m losing control, Angel.”
“Hang on, Sweetheart. We ’ll figure this out... I promise,” tucking her fingers between Eli ’s skin and the metal of the jewelry in an effort to reassure her.
Isaac took exception to her words and their interaction and raised his hands to strike Eli away from Arianna when several things happened at once.
Eden grabbed Isaac and knocked him back, away from Arianna and Eli. Arianna maintained her clasp on Eli ’s forearm - even as the skin changed to scales and deepened in color – not wanting to lose the tentative link they had established with one another. Eli ’s transformation was quick this time – no hesitation... no control. But before she could reach her full size – something that would have exceeded the confines of the ship - they were all suddenly and unexpectedly transported to the planet they had been orbiting.
It was a large, open arena, and seated around the perimeter were what the Alpha Team could only assume was the entire Pantheon of Gods and their lessers and demi-gods. It was interesting to note that the majority of spectators sat behind Aphrodite and her sisters. A few sat to either side – in neutral territory, as it were – but Ares remained alone. Even his lessers and the demi-gods of his line chose to remain neutral in this battle. They all remained stoic as the Alpha Team in its entirety appeared before them in the exact positions they had been in the infirmary.
Except for Eli – her transformation had continued until she was almost her maximum size. And it only took another moment once they materialized on the planet for her to reach that. And they first thing she did was turn her attention to Isaac, who was still being held by Eden. Eli puffed out an angry breath that held a hint of fire and narrowed her eyes at him. Before she could take action, though, she felt love ’s touch beneath the bracelet that had expanded with her rapid growth. Looking down, she found Arianna gazing at her in love and understanding.
“Eden,” Arianna called softly without losing Eli ’s stare. “Step away from Isaac.”
“Az? Are you sure?”
Arianna brushed another light kiss over the scales on Eli ’s wrist in reassurance, then turned and met Eden ’s black eyes unflinchingly. “I ’m sure. We ’ve come too far to turn back now. We have to let this play out to its conclusion.”
“No matter what?”
“No matter what.”
Eden held Arianna ’s eyes for another long moment, finding the truth she didn ’t really want to see. With a sharp nod of her head, she turned to Isaac. “I ’m sorry, Ike. Don ’t be stupid, all right?”
Isaac frowned in confusion, but jerked his head in acknowledgement. Eden moved away from him, and he immediately turned his back to Eli and Arianna, crossing the arena to stand in front of Ares. “You LIED to me,” he accused.
Ares crossed his arms over his chest, then lifted a hand to examine his fingernails. “So, um... what ’s your point?”
Isaac ’s face glowed red in his anger, and he briefly wished Ares was on the ground instead of in the stands so he had a shot at pummeling him. He settled for pointing a finger and raising his voice. “My point is you LIED to me. You told me that bracelet would keep her from transforming. Look at her!!” motioning to the dragon that towered over all of them. “She ’s a full-sized monster!!” ignoring the rumbling he heard coming from behind him. That also meant he missed the sound of running footsteps heading his direction. But he didn ’t miss Ares ’ smirk just before the punch that landed on his ribs. Isaac whirled in place with his fist raised, then dropped it when he realized a furious Arianna had hit him. “Arianna?” he asked, one hand rubbing the spot she hit while the other reached out toward her. Arianna took a deliberate step back, and before Isaac could close the distance separating them, a green-scaled claw dropped between them and blocked Arianna from his view.
“Amado!” he heard Arianna huff impatiently. The dragon grinned wickedly. “Elizabeth, how can I defend your honor if I can ’t even see the enemy I ’m defending you against?” Isaac could almost hear the clever arch in her eyebrow and wished he could see beyond the massive claw. “Lay your hand flat, Beloved,” he heard Arianna smiling voice. “I ’ll remain in your palm while I school Isaac in the error of his ways. I ’ll be perfectly safe there.”
Isaac watched as the green-scaled wall became a green-scaled floor. Arianna stepped into Eli ’s palm without a hint of fear or revulsion, then sat calm and relaxed when Eli moved her hand closer to Isaac ’s position. “Arianna?” he started, then stopped when she held up an imperative hand.
“Nono, Isaac. You don ’t get to speak – you get to listen. Eli is not the monster here... you are. And he is,” pointing to Ares who was trying to maintain a nonchalant, unconcerned attitude, but whose eyes showed an angry storm brewing. “Him more than you,” she added thoughtfully. “Because you ’re the expendable patsy he set up to do his dirty work.”
“I don ’t....” his expression a mixture of confusion and anger.
“I know you don ’t. It ’s one reason Eli is holding herself in check. If you had done this of your own accord, you ’d already be dead,” her eyes meeting his seriously. “Let me explain to you how Ares wanted things to work out. Then we can decide where to go from here. You see you and I were both superfluous in this equation. Ares erroneously believed that I would be put off or even repulsed by Eli ’s alternative nature – he had no way of knowing that she had shared it with me when we were still in the desert compound. And far from being repulsed, I found her fascinating... captivating; the exhilaration of flying with her was just an added bonus in my book.”
A dozen sets of eyes looked around at each other as the words registered in their hearing. When had Eli become a dragon in the desert compound and how had they missed it? How had she taken Arianna flying without them being aware of such an activity? It wasn ’t like Eli ’s dragon form was the size of a lizard. Then they turned their attention back to Arianna ’s words as she continued to enlighten Isaac to the truth of what was happening around them.
“You see, Isaac, the circlet you put around her wrist doesn ’t disperse her ability to transform; it focuses her passion and her rage. Ares wants that part of her – he needs it. That ’s where her strength is. Anyway, I was supposed to be so afraid of or disgusted by Eli ’s dragon form that I would come running to you to protect me from her,” gently stroking the smooth scaled skin she was seated on. “In this form, Eli is mostly about emotion – she acts and reacts to how she feels because when she transforms it is usually to protect and defend what ’s most important to her.”
“And that would be you,” Isaac said clearly.
Arianna nodded. “That would be me. Only in Ares ’ mind, my running to you would have been a betrayal of Eli and she would have destroyed us both. And that would have caused her to turn to him.”
“Why?” honest confusion in his tone. Arianna smiled wryly.
“I know you missed it when Aphrodite told the rest of the team. Was anyone able to share the story of soulmates with you? Beyond what I shared?” Isaac nodded slowly, his forehead creased thoughtfully as he tried to figure out where she was going with this. “Isaac, Eli and I are soulmates – we have been for all of our lifetimes together.”
“But you chose me....”
Arianna shook her head. “Not really. I chose to protect my soulmate and her family from the machinations of someone who could have destroyed her in that lifetime. And in doing so, I put us on this path.”
“How?”
“Our anger blew everything we knew apart. It sent these people to this place and separated Eli and I from one another for lifetimes.” She shook her head. “Had I known….”
“ ... you never would have chosen me.” He shook his head as the music slowly subsided in his mind and things suddenly came clearly into focus for the first time in ages. He met Arianna ’s compassionate brown eyes. “I never really was a choice for you, was I?”
“No, Isaac, you weren ’t – and I wouldn ’t have. I ’m sorry.”
“So am I... for so many things. I don ’t know why....”
“Oh for the love of….” Ares cut in harshly. “Really?? I ’ve had enough.” He turned to Eli. “Time to pick your side, Princess,” knowing only the gods, Eli and Arianna understood his reference in regards to her first pass through the circle. “You join me or they die. And your mate dies first – as painfully as I can possibly make it. And I ’ve had millennia to perfect my craft.”
Eli gently urged Arianna to move from her hand, snorting when Arianna just glared at her. Arianna put her hands on her hips and maintained her ground though she did remain seated so as not to topple over as Eli lifted her to almost eye level. She rolled serpentine eyes before depositing Arianna behind her massive frame.
“HEY!” Arianna started to protest before realizing Eli was subtly trying to maneuver herself between Ares and Isaac as well without exposing Arianna to Ares. With her attention on trying to keep Ares from inflicting damage on either Arianna or Isaac, Eli forgot to consider that Ares might attack from another angle. She was taken completely by surprise when a blast removed the bracelet before a second blast hit her squarely in the chest, knocking her over. In her unconscious state, without the circlet to focus her energy, Eli naturally reverted to her humanoid form rather rapidly. Ares sneered in her direction.
“Wrong choice, Princess,” lifting his hand towards Arianna who was directly exposed as she knelt over Eli ’s prone form.
“NO!!” Isaac yelled as he ran to intercept Ares, catching instead the fireball intended for Arianna and Eli just as he reached their position. He slumped to the ground partially covering Eli, but managing to miss Arianna completely. Ares smirked and raised his hand once more. But instead of cowering, Arianna let the rage flow through her and rose to meet him. Ares faltered, and it was Arianna ’s turn to sneer at him.
“Lost your nerve, Asshat?” stepping closer to him without a suggestion of hesitation in her step. Ares ’s spine stiffened and he raised his hand again.
“You need to learn some respect for your betters, Little Girl.”
Arianna snorted. “You ’re not my better. You ’re not even my equal.”
Ares lost his smile. “You realize she ’s not able to protect you this time.”
“She already has, Ares. We know the terms of the bet you made, and we know it ’s our final necessary trip through the circle. We ’ve already chosen each other. If you kill me, she will simply finish what you started and join me in eternity – WHERE WE WILL REMAIN. If you kill her in an effort to destroy me, you still lose her, and I will take the steps necessary to join her in the afterlife – WHERE WE WILL REMAIN. If you let us live, we will still be together when this lifetime is over and when we go to our reward, we will finally have eternal peace. No matter what you choose, Ares, you can ’t win.”
Ares ’ countenance was livid, and he contemplated killing Arianna just for the brief thrill of victory he would feel. But he realized she spoke the truth – he had been outmaneuvered. Then his expression turned cruel. “And what of your teammates? Are they as willing to die for you and her to stay together?”
“Yes,” Isaac croaked from his spot covering Eli. His body ached with the blunt force trauma to which it had been exposed, but he knew, judging from the area that had been hit, that it had mostly been a glancing blow meant to injure and cause pain more than do damage serious enough to kill him. He spared a thought to be grateful for small mercies before turning his head slightly toward Ares – he refused to expose Eli and more than she already was. “What you did to me was wrong. What you did to them was unforgivable.”
Ares curled his lip in disgust before looking around at the rest of the team. “And what say the rest of you, hmm? Are you so willing to die for these two?”
“Yes,” Eden said strongly, stepping up beside Arianna. “Because they ’d do the same for any of us.”
“Yes,” replied Jacob, taking Arianna ’s other side. And so they continued to move and stand until they were standing with Arianna protectively in front of Eli and Isaac.
“Give it up, Brother,” Aphrodite suggested softly. “It ’s over.”
“It ’s NOT over!!” he screamed, wiping the sweat from his brow. “It ’s not over until the warrior speaks; it ’s not over until she chooses.”
“She ’s dying, Ares,” Athena said quietly. “The fireball you threw at her dragon form hit even as she had started her transformation back to humanoid.” She shook her head. “It was too much.”
“Why haven ’t you healed her??”
“The rules clearly forbid me from interfering....”
“Fix her, Athena. She doesn ’t get to die as long as I have time left to claim her!!”
Athena merely moved to Eli ’s side, easing Isaac away from her despite his weak protests. “I ’m going to help her, Isaac – I promise. Then I ’ll do what I can to ease your suffering as well. But I need to mend Eli first.”
“Do what you ’ve gotta do, Doc,” he mumble before slumping onto his back and closing his eyes. Athena patted his shoulder, then turned her attention to repairing the vast amount of damage Ares had inflicted on Eli.
Chapter XXIX
Eli closed her eyes when the blast hit her, better able to deal with the excruciating pain lancing through her if she focused on breathing. She could feel the warmth of Arianna around her, though it fluctuated with Arianna ’s emotional state. Then a heavy weight fell on top of her damaged body and her world went to darkness.
She floated in the darkness, quite content to remain still while allowing the warmth of Arianna ’s presence to anchor her. Then she felt it multiply exponentially and blinked open her eyes to find herself nowhere... alone.
She looked around carefully, unable to see anything of substance, though she could feel solidness beneath her prone body. She sat up slowly before she rose, then assumed there was a floor as she felt it firm beneath her footsteps. But otherwise there was little to be seen beyond the white mist that appeared to surround her. She felt a shift in the warmth and glanced around to find Athena behind her. She cocked an eyebrow.
“Athena?”
Athena bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement. “Eli,” she returned. “Are you ready to die?”
To say Eli was shocked at the question would have been an understatement of immense proportion and it was obvious in the alarm that transformed her expression. “Excuse me??” waving off Athena ’s answer before she could formulate a response. “Why would you ask me something like that?? Of course I ’m not ready to die! Arianna and I have only just found one another again. We have a lifetime together to live.”
“Then you need to let me heal you, and you must be ready to face Ares together. Arianna has already done an amazing job on her own, but you need to be there to support her... much like your teammates are doing.”
“I beg pardon?”
Athena smiled, understanding Eli ’s look of confusion. She motioned around her with a finger. “That warmth you feel? It ’s not just Arianna. Abigail is helping Arianna channel the love and support of your teammates to you – to help stem the destruction Ares wrought on your system when he blasted you.”
“Are they all right? Is Gay...?”
“Everyone is fine, as far as I know... except for Isaac. He intercepted the second volley Ares lobbed in your direction. He ’s still better off than you are at the moment. As for the other, it was Abigail ’s idea.”
“How do you know?” asked Eli with a furrowed brow. “By her own admission, she hasn ’t been able to feel anyone except me and Arianna.”
“Something I did to protect her. If she had been exposed to everything that she is actually capable of sensing, she ’d have been driven mad long before you reached us. So I put a dampener in place that gradually cut her off from everything. It was only supposed to last until the song stopped. But you and Arianna broke through and something in her shifted to protect herself.”
“Will it come back to her?”
“I think it already has. As I said, she ’s channeling all the good vibes she can through Arianna who is sending them to you. We just need to get you healed and back to them quickly so we can end this once and for all – preferably without a lot of peripheral damage to everyone involved.”
“Except Ares,” Eli said darkly. “It ’s time he was made to pay for this.”
“Except for Ares,” Athena agreed, though her eyes were sad and tired. They held one another ’s gaze for a long moment exchanging silent apologies and acceptance. Then Eli smirked.
“So why haven ’t you already healed me?”
Athena grunted. “Have you met you? You ’re a very guarded individual, Eli. It was all I could do to traverse the corridors of your mind to find you here. I have no desire to cause more damage because you were fighting my efforts to help you.”
“What do I need to do?”
“Reach out to Arianna – she ’s already doing that to you. When you find one another, you ’ll be comfortable enough to allow me to repair the harm Ares inflicted on you.”
“And then I can kick the crap out of him?”
Athena snorted. “At the very least, my dear.”
Eli backed up the few steps she had taken until she hit solid at the crease of her knees. She sank onto the slab, then lowered her body until she was once more laying flat. She closed her eyes and waved a hand in Athena ’s general direction.
“Proceed,” she commanded. “The sooner we get this done, the better for all concerned.”
Athena stepped close and let her hands hover just above the area that had sustained such heavy injury. “This might hurt a little,” she cautioned before she allowed the healing to flow through her being, then from her hands into Eli ’s body. Then all she could hear were the screams.
************
Ares watched as Athena moved toward Eli ’s prone body, gently transferring Isaac ’s weight from her to begin the healing process. He didn ’t see the Alpha Team shifting until they were standing in a pyramid behind Arianna, nor did he notice that they were physically linked together by their hands. He never saw Arianna close her eyes and soundlessly move her lips as if repeating a silent mantra, nor did he see when the rest of the Alpha Team did the same thing. He was too busy taking perverse pleasure in Eli ’s agonized screams. He remained focused on Eli, waiting until Athena was completely involved in healing her and her cries had dissolved into whimpers before he turned back to the Alpha Team with a diabolical grin.
“So, who ’s gonna die first?” he asked, then frowned when he got no response from any of the scientists who remained perfectly still with their eyes closed. Instead, an objection came from Aphrodite.
“No one ’s gonna die, Brother. That was part of the agreement we made when we took this bet. You don ’t get to change the rules now to suit yourself.”
“Who ’s gonna stop me?” he sneered.
“We are, Ares,” said Zeus, surprising almost everyone. “We all are,” gesturing around the arena. “It ’s time this was over; it ’s gone on too long.”
“You can ’t do that!! We swore a blood oath!!”
“And as one of the parties involved in creating that bond, I have the power to dissolve it as well. I ’m invoking that right.”
“And what do you say, Uncle?” turning to Hades. “Will you stand with me and uphold our bargain?”
“No, Ares. The time for this is long past. Humans have earned the right to be free of our games and our foolishness. It is time we simply accept that we are unnecessary and outdated.”
“You ’re serious,” his tone flat but his eyes a maw of fury.
“We all are,” Hera assured him. “We are too old and too tired to continue the machinations of the past. It ’s time we learn to let go and live the lives we have now.”
“What ’s the point?? Without followers, we have no powerbase – we have no lives. We ’re nothing.”
“That ’s exactly the point,” Apollo pointed out. “We are already nothing where humans are concerned. They believe us to be nothing more than myth or legend from a time very long past... if they ’ve ever even heard of us to begin with.”
“And this is our chance to get that back – to be more than a myth or legend. This is our chance to rebuild our powerbases. And this time we have planets to build from... not just city-states.”
“Except they won ’t believe. Face it, Ares – there ’s little we can do that they haven ’t achieved for themselves now. And these humans,” motioning to the still silent Alpha Team, “aren ’t going to spread the good word about us – not after all of this. Humanity outgrew us a long, long time ago. We ’re just finally catching up.”
“No,” Ares replied firmly, though his eyes looked less certain as he realized no one was on his side in this. “No,” he said again more resolutely. “It doesn ’t end this way. I ’m not going down without a fight.”
“That won ’t be a problem,” said a husky voice from behind him. He whipped around to find a very pale, but extremely vexed Eli standing next to Arianna. Arianna ’s eyes remained closed but she and Eli were now linked by their joined hands. He gave her a hate filled grin.
“Nice of you to join us, Princess. Ready to be mine?”
“Over my dead body,” she replied with a sneer.
“I can oblige that request,” he answered as he lifted the hand that held a burning blue orb. Quick as a flash, he released it in her direction, and several things happened at once.
Aphrodite and Artemis rushed at Ares from the stands, intent on knocking him off balance. Athena strove to rise from where she still knelt trying to recover after healing Isaac, hoping to do the same... or at least intercept the fireball headed toward the Alpha Team and Arianna in particular. Zeus actually risked throwing a lightning bolt at Ares, knowing there would be severe consequences if their powers met, but hoping his aim was still true. And Ares just stood with a look of satisfaction on his face, waiting to hear her screams when Eli realized what he had done.
It only took seconds for all this to happen, then everyone froze to examine the tableau that now stood before them. Aphrodite had managed to tackle Ares to the ground and knelt above his struggling form while Artemis pinned his arms to the ground to keep him from doing anything else. None of that was remarkably surprising... especially when it was obvious by their new positioning that almost every god had moved in an attempt to keep Ares from succeeding.
No, what was truly astonishing was the Alpha Team – and Eli and Arianna specifically. The Alpha Team was still linked together, only now their eyes were open and glowing a bright silver. Eli held Zeus ’ lightning bolt in her left hand and was examining it slowly with more than a hint of curiosity. Arianna, on the other hand, was smirking at the fireball she was currently bouncing up and down in her right hand.
It only took Ares a few seconds to stop fighting against Aphrodite ’s slight weight when he realized all motion had come to a complete standstill and the silence was deafening. He looked around, eyes bulging from his head when he finally comprehended the truth of what had happened. He tried to shrug Aphrodite ’s weight from his torso as he jerked the arms still firmly grasped in the other goddesses ’ hold. He glared at them, then turned his attention back to Aphrodite.
“Let me up, Dite. This is about me and them now.” She held his gaze a moment, then deliberately looked at Eli and Arianna. Only when they had both nodded their approval did she shift. He yanked his arms from Artemis ’ grip and shoved Aphrodite the rest of the way off of him before he rose to his feet. “What in Hades was that?? You don ’t ask them for permissi... erk!” gasping when a small hand wrapped in his tunic and twisted it up tight against his throat. He looked down to find blazing black eyes burning silver staring back at him. Eden smirked.
“I think it ’s time for you to learn some respect for your betters, Little Man.”
He raised a hand to her, but she merely twisted tighter. He coughed and grabbed at her hand, but when he exerted the slightest pressure against her, Eden continued to asphyxiate him. His face turned an impossible shade of red and Eli finally felt compelled to intercede.
“Eden, we need him conscious,” Eli said with a smirk clear in her tone.
“He lets go of me before I release him,” Eden replied without letting her eyes leave his. He dropped her hand and held his arms out at his side. She sneered at him before she threw him from her, causing him to land hard on his ass. He laid flat for several moments as he coughed and tried to regain his breath. Meanwhile, Eden stepped back and extended her hand to Aphrodite, helping her up before she moved to reclaim her place just behind Eli and Arianna. Aphrodite went and knelt at Athena ’s side.
Zeus stepped from the platform on which he had been ensconced, bypassing his son as he walked toward Eli. When he was within touching distance, he held out his hand. “May I?” he asked, reaching for the lightning bolt she still held. She shrugged and extended it toward him.
“Of course. I ’m not certain it would be of any use to me.”
“Perhaps,” Zeus conceded, “but you are the first to actually be able to handle one so casually – to say nothing of catching it out of mid-air. You do understand that I wasn ’t aiming at you?”
“Yes. If the goddesses hadn ’t been quite as accurate in their efforts to subdue Ares, I am confident it would have hit him squarely between the shoulder blades.
Zeus smiled. “Good to know I haven ’t quite lost my touch after all this time.”
“I can only imagine. But you should probably move,” her eyes flicking over his shoulder to the movement behind him. “It ’s time we end this, and you don ’t need to be in the middle.”
Zeus nodded. “I owe you and your kind an apology. If I hadn ’t been such a selfish....”
“ ...asshat?” Arianna supplied with hard eyes.
Zeus smiled sadly. “Not the first word I would have chosen, but it will suffice. I wish I could go back and change... so many things.”
“You can only go forward from here,” Eli commented softly. “Just work to make now the best you can – for everyone.”
“You ’re a pretty smart humanoid, Princess,” Zeus offered with a slight bow and a tilt of his head. “Now end this. We are ready to simply live among ourselves. We don ’t need this kind of drama to entertain us anymore.”
“Then you really need to move... before Ares decides to take drastic action to eliminate you from between us.” Zeus smirked and raised the lightning bolt to his lips. He smiled at the tickle that ran across his skin. He leaned forward to whisper to her conspiratorially.
“As long as I have this and she has that,” nodding his head in Arianna ’s direction, “he ’ll patiently wait until I remove myself. He may not be afraid of me alone, but I ’m pretty sure he ’s a little terrified of your mate at the moment. No one ’s been able to do what she did either.”
“Pretty sure we didn ’t do it on our own,” Eli said, glancing at her friends whose eyes still glowed silver.
“Perhaps not,” Zeus conceded, “but it ’s impressive nevertheless. Now if you ladies will excuse me,” he offered with a small bow before stepping to one side – their side – of what would soon be a confrontation.
“About damn time, Old Man,” Ares muttered, though his eyes never really left the orb now resting in Arianna ’s hand. “So haw are we going to do this, Princess? You can ’t defeat me as a mere mortal and I ’m not giving up my godhood to make this a fair fight. So how do you intend to win against me?”
Eli smiled softly. “I ’ve already defeated you, Ares – we ’ve already defeated you,” squeezing the hand still enfolded in her own. “All that ’s left now is to kick the crap out of you, and thanks to your family leveling the playing field for us, that ’s what we ’re going to do.”
“Wait... what??” looking around at the gods who returned his gaze dispassionately. “What did you do? Why would you do anything to help them?”
Artemis sighed tiredly. “We ’ve already explained to you why. And it only seemed fair that they have a shot at getting some of their own back for a change.”
“You didn ’t take away my power,” more statement than question as he watched blue fire dance across his hand.
“No. We gave them the ability to channel their own,” motioning to the Alpha Team.
“So it ’s fifteen against one?” he snarked. “Doesn ’t seem very fair if you ask me.”
“No one asked you,” Arianna replied sharply. “You ’re the one who drew all of us into your little game. We should all have the opportunity to express how we feel about that. The fact that we can concentrate those feeling into a singular feed is simply fortuitous for us.”
Ares turned to her and let his hatred flow. “You know, I was going to save the Princess for last. After all, she might still come back to me if she had to watch everyone she loves – but especially you – suffer and die before her. But I think instead I ’ll allow you that privilege. You just don ’t know when to shut up.”
“Apparently, neither do you,” Arianna said as she hefted the fireball in his direction. Backed by the anger of thirteen furious and two long-suffering humanoids, it knocked him ass over teakettle and landed him flat on his face. It took him a dazed minute to realize he was lying on the ground with grass and dirt in his mouth before he recognized what happened. He blinked his eyes and shook his head as he rolled to his feet. Then he faced the Alpha Team and raised his arm, surprised at the reaction he found.
They weren ’t gloating or celebratory; nor were they afraid. Instead, they maintained their link and just stood waiting patiently for him to recover himself. He realized he needed to cut their nexus to give him a chance at defeating them. Before he could take another step, however, Eli spoke.
“Your choice, Ares. You can choose to lose your godhood and live the rest of your life here as a mortal or....”
“Or?” he sneered.
“Or we will send you into the Void.”
Ares howled, laughing until his eyes ran with tears. “You ’ll send me into the Void,” he replied when he had recovered his breath. “Sweetheart, that ’s something even they couldn ’t accomplish,” jerking his thumb in the direction of a majority of the Pantheon.
“They don ’t owe you like we do,” Arianna said sweetly.
“Well then,” Ares invited, throwing his arms out to his sides. “Maybe it ’s time to pay up. C ’mon. I ’ll even give you a free shot.”
Every god in the arena held their breath.
Chapter XXX
“Well, what ’s the matter?” Ares snarked as he crossed his arms over his chest. He stood still a moment observing them before lifting a hand to his mouth and tapping his lips with a finger. Then he smiled cruelly. “Oh wait... you already had your free shot.” Glaring at Arianna. “You can ’t create any more fireballs and you,” pointing directly at Eli, “gave up a perfectly good lightning bolt. Shame that,” he added with mock contrition as he turned his back and stepped away from them. “But all the better for me to destroy you now.”
With those words, he whipped around, lobbing a flaming fireball from each hand towards the still unmoving Alpha Team. He half expected Arianna to catch one of them again – hence the reason he sent two in her direction. Unfortunately for Ares, Arianna didn ’t catch anything. The fireballs remained straight and true to their target, but they didn ’t detonate when they hit the shielding, nor did they bounce away harmlessly. When they hit the shielding around the perimeter of the Team, they were deliberately hurled back in his direction. He couldn ’t move fast enough to avoid being hit by them and he screamed in agony and frustration as he landed flat on his back once more.
He got up again, furious and wiping blood away from his nose and mouth. He stalked toward the Alpha Team with murderous intent, but they didn ’t flinch. In rapid-fire succession, he hurled three more fireballs at them... only to have them return to him with even greater force and velocity than he had originally used. His only saving grace was each one knocked him a little further away, so each successive blast was slightly weaker than the one before it. Still, he was again knocked flat on his back, staring up into darkness and swirling stars while his ears rang like church bells calling the faithful to prayer. He lay there simply trying to catch the breath he never realized he actually needed – aware of the noise and chaos floating around him but unable to respond.
The gods and goddesses crept closer – trying to determine his true state of being. The Alpha Team didn ’t move; they remained perfectly still letting the flow of energy streaming through and around them strengthen the shielding that encased them.
“Ares?” Zeus asked as he moved to Ares ’ side. “There ’s not much time left. Are you ready to concede defeat?”
“No,” he groaned harshly, though he made no attempt to move. “I haven ’t been defeated. Athena needs to heal me so I can end this.”
“Athena can ’t heal you. You lost that privilege when you chose this path.” Before Ares could protest, Zeus held up his hand. “Besides, she used up her power helping Eli and Isaac. She needs time to rest and recuperate before she can attempt any further healing – time you don ’t have to spare. Are you certain you don ’t want to surrender and remain with us?”
Ares snorted – an act that promptly turned into a coughing fit that caused him to spit blood. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, then turned hard eyes to Zeus. “You don ’t really think they can destroy me, do you? You don ’t believe they are capable of sending me into the Void??”
“Even if they cannot – we can. And it is the condition you agreed to when you undertook this bet.”
“You would banish me??”
“If that ’s the choice you make? Yes.”
The anger that flowed through Ares at those words was fierce and it lent strength to his weakened body. “Get out of the way, Old Man. It ’s time to finish this once and for all.” He stood on unsteady legs and looked around at those he had called family. “I will remember this,” he snarled. “And there will be paybacks.”
With that, he turned his back to them and looked at Eli and Arianna. He just stared for a moment, searching for a weakness. They and the Alpha Team stood perfectly still returning his regard. Despite the stillness of the world around them, their hair lifted as though a wind was blowing; it was their only movement... and a true indication of the power they wielded. He realized Isaac had joined his teammates, and though his eyes were also glowing silver now, they didn ’t seem to shine as brightly as the others. So he decided to make him a target. He had forgotten whom he was up against... or that they had taken a stand together against him.
Ares walked to within two arms length of them and stood perfectly still, holding Eli ’s stare as he gathered his powers to him. He felt it building, and he genuinely smiled for the first time in what felt like forever – because finally... finally he felt as strong and invincible as he had once been. In the back of his mind he realized he was casting everything he had on this one throw of the dice, but he couldn ’t make himself care. When he won, it wouldn ’t matter – he would be stronger and more invincible than he had ever been. And he didn ’t care how strong they were together, he was still the God of War.
He felt the wind swirl around him and his smile became cruel and sadistic. It meant his power was reaching its zenith. He never realized that the wind wasn ’t emanating from him, but rather was reaching across the divide between him and the Alpha Team.
Ares closed his eyes, breaking his connection with Eli and allowing him to focus on bringing his power to the fore. Then with a mighty yell, he unleashed every ounce of power he possessed and launched it at the Alpha Team. And he waited for the resulting impact.
************
“What ’s going on, Dite?” Athena asked, eyes still closed. She had never felt as drained as she did at the moment, but she was thrilled beyond measure she had finally been able to make a positive difference in the well-being of her Chosen. Another lancing pain went through her head and she clutched the hand she held tighter until the ache subsided. She felt Aphrodite ’s other hand cover hers, adding healing warmth which helped Athena relax further into her touch.
Aphrodite actually had a larger measure of power than the rest of them – had since they had encountered the Alpha Team ’s approach to the Nebula. The care and concern they showed for one another was strong; Eli ’s and Arianna ’s bond simply strengthened her power exponentially. Now she was sharing some of that bounty with Athena to keep her from fading away altogether. And in the meantime, she offered Athena a play-by-play of events as they unfolded around them.
“Not much. Ares is still laying on the ground and Daddy is talking to him.” She sighed and looked down at her sister before turning her attention back to her father and brother. “I totally don ’t get him, The. Why won ’t he like, you know... give up? He has to know he ’s lost.”
“I don ’t think he cares, Dite. It ’s different for warriors. They need something to fight for or fight against. Otherwise they just fade away. I think Ares wants to go out fighting.”
Aphrodite ’s brows furrowed. “You ’re a warrior. I don ’t see you acting like a total dork.”
Athena smiled faintly. “Ares and I are different kinds of warriors. My skill was always tactics and strategy. His strength lay in the chaos and carnage he could cause. Besides,” she added, lightly squeezing the hand still held, “I have things to live for. What does Ares have? What has he ever had?”
Aphrodite shook her head sadly even though Athena couldn ’t see it with her eyes still closed. Then Aphrodite gasped and Athena clenched her hand. “Ow,” she complained softly as she patted the hand that held hers. “Not so tight, The. You ’re cutting off my circulation.”
“Sorry,” muttered. “What ’s going on?”
“I think Ares is in more trouble than he realizes. It looks like he ’s... he ’s pulling all his powers together – you know, for like an all-or-nothing shot at those kids.”
“Yeah?”
“It feels like they ’ve totally opened up their defenses. Like when he blasts them....”
“They ’re really going to be able to Void him without us, aren ’t they?”
“I think so, yeah.”
Athena sighed. “Can you help me sit up? I think we need to witness this.”
Aphrodite jerked her head at Artemis – who had been keeping an eye on them. She immediately knelt at Athena ’s back and lifted her shoulders as Aphrodite gently tugged on both hands. Only when she was upright did Athena open her eyes, and all three sisters turned their attention to the tableau playing out in front of them.
************
“Incoming encrypted transmission from Lt. Joseph Cornell,” the computer voice announced just before she heard the familiar voice.
“Mama? I think we have a problem.”
Mary closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. The few months since she had been relieved of her duties by the Council had not been particularly restful and she was still suffering the lingering affects of the damage that had been wrought to her body by the poisoned shredder projectile. Eve had done a fabulous job of finding an antidote and stemming further injury, but a lot of destruction had already been accomplished by the time she ’d achieved her objective, and exhaustion was a normal part of Mary ’s day anymore. Still, she had a job to do and a responsibility to those kids despite the Council ’s actions, so she sighed and gave a wry smile before she blinked open her eyes and looked at Joseph.
“Of course we do,” she replied drolly. “What ’s the situation?”
“I know that you ’re supposed to be suspended, but....”
“Joseph!” she cut into his rambling before he could go off on another tangent about the unfairness of a great many things... including her removal as Chief. “If it wasn ’t important, you wouldn ’t have called me in the first place,” she stated, staring him in the eyes. He dropped his gaze briefly in apology and nodded. “All right then – report.”
Joseph straightened at the authoritative tone and met her eyes squarely. “We ’ve finally been able to send a signal where Princess indicated we should be looking.”
“And…?” prompting when he stopped speaking.
“We can ’t find anything. There ’s no response to our signal anywhere on the surface; there ’s no debris or crash site that we can find; and there are no signs of life... at all.”
“Do you think Ian misunderstood the message she sent him? He only had a week to learn that language.”
“I don ’t think so, Mama. We both know what a quick study he is with that sort of stuff. Besides, we checked with the head of her clan when we first got the message to make sure he had interpreted it correctly.”
Mary blew out a slow breath. “What should there be – assuming they went straight there once they jumped to translight speed?”
“At the very least we should be able to see the transport... whether it crashed or set down safely, there should be something there. There ’s nothing. And if Nat did his calculations correctly – and you know he did – they would have been there long enough to have at least started construction on the extraneous structures. There would be something,” he reiterated.
Mary pinched her bottom lip between her thumb and forefinger as she thoughtfully considered Joseph ’s words. “Bring up a schematic of their likely route,” she said after a few minutes of silence. Joseph nodded and instantly Mary had the graphic in front of her. She shifted his image to the bottom corner and expanded her view, moving it slowly back from the moon along the expected route Nathaniel had calculated for the Alpha Team. A third of the way back toward the original drop off point, Mary froze. She moved the screen around carefully, then blew out a breath and looked up to meet Joseph ’s eyes again.
“Is this the Nusnaigewron Nebula?”
He nodded solemnly. “It is. But it lies on the very periphery of their sensor range. They shouldn ’t have encountered it beyond a distant anomaly on their scans. They were all aware of the protocols addressing the Nebula; they shouldn ’t have approached it.”
Mary exhaled slowly again, pondering all the information she had and her knowledge of the Alpha Team. “Start looking for them in that area,” she finally commanded. “Given what we know of that phenomenon, it ’s the most obvious place for something to have gone wrong.
“Yes, Mama.”
“And keep me apprised, Joseph. Suspended or not, I want to know....”
“I know, Mama. I will. You try to get some rest. You still look tired and we ’re all worried about you.”
Mary smiled wanly at the first son she had gained by marriage. “Thank you, my son. That means... everything. Will you be here for the Equinox celebration?”
Joseph shook his head. “Doubtful. The Admiral has plans for war games.”
Mary nodded. “Very well. We ’ll miss you.”
“I ’ll miss being there, but....”
“We go where we ’re called,” Mary finished. Joseph chuckled.
“Exactly. I ’ll be talking to you soon, Mama.”
“See that you do, Joseph. Love you – take care of yourself.”
“Always – love you back,” he replied and ended the transmission. Mary continued to stare into the dark screen for a moment longer before she tapped her comm link.
“Caleb, I need to see you whenever you have some free time.” Then she turned her attention back to the reports she had been reading and let herself be lost in the minutiae that was running her business from behind the scenes. She knew she would hear from Caleb soon enough.
************
Eli watched dispassionately as Ares staggered toward them on unsteady legs. She could feel the strength of her team all around her – flowing through her veins and creating a maelstrom that surrounded them like a living entity. From the intensity of power, she could only imagine the fury and indignation fueling them. Arianna stood beside her – one hand clutching hers; the other holding Jacob ’s. Her eyes were closed once more, and Eli noted abstractly that Isaac had joined them as well. It made her smile to know that when it counted, he had chosen to stand as a member of their family. She idly noted that the entire team had closed their eyes while she held Ares ’ dark gaze. Still, she felt more like a conduit than a collection point – surprising considering she was Ares ’ focus as she had been for lifetimes before this.
She kept her attention on Ares even as she allowed her senses to extend – the warmth of Arianna ’s hand on one side and Eden on the other; Abigail directly behind Arianna – between Eden and Jacob – hands on Arianna ’s shoulders; connected to the rest by a number of hands that rested on her body. Everyone else had tightened their ranks... ensuring that they were touching in multiple places - shoulders, hands, feet. She recognized in that moment that Arianna was the conduit that Abigail was using to focus their collective power. Then Eli saw Ares close his eyes and knew that his final volley was imminent. And she did the only thing she could do.
Even as Ares screamed and loosened the full strength of his collected energy, Eli dropped to her knees in front of Arianna, wrapping both arms around her middle and pressing her head into Arianna ’s belly. Without missing a beat, Eden clasped Arianna ’s elbow to maintain the connection of the group. Jacob slid his hand from Arianna ’s grasp to take her elbow on the other side and Arianna wound both hands into Eli ’s hair and held on tightly. In that moment, they all - save Eli who was facing away from him - opened their eyes and gave Ares a malevolent look.
They absorbed the energy he hurled at them, adding that power to the frenzy they had already created around them. They held onto it for a long moment, letting the buzz of power hum through them as Ares ’ jaw dropped in disbelief and his eyes goggled at the impossibility of what he was seeing. It occurred to him that he should probably run... or do something to remove himself from the path of destruction surely headed his way. But before he could formulate a plan of action, Eli spun in Arianna ’s arms and raised her hands to return his volley a hundred fold.
The light was blinding when it hit him squarely in the chest, and everyone – gods, goddesses and Alpha Team alike - closed their eyes in reflex. So they missed what happened next.
************
Eli and Arianna blinked open their eyes to find themselves still wrapped around one another standing in an unknown space. Everything was stretched out and blurry as though being viewed through a filter and they watched as the lives they had seen in their dreamscape pass before them again in rapid succession. Some they recognized – others not as much, but they were all familiar enough for them to instinctively understand that each of their lifetimes was represented in some fashion.
In each and every scenario, they recognized Ares ’ presence in some form or fashion. They heard his derision; his anger; his frustration; his disdain. There was a scream of anguish, then mocking laughter... and everything went black.
************
They woke up lying on the ground curled into one another... surrounded by their friends and then by the gods and goddesses. Abigail knelt next to them – a hand on each of them. Eden stood behind her, both hands resting on Abigail ’s shoulders, and each Alpha Team member subsequently linked behind her in a solid circle. Eli brushed a light kiss over Arianna ’s hair and Arianna ’s returned the kiss on her neck. Green eyes met black and Eli rasped out, “Report.”
“Not sure what to tell you, Boss. You and Az kind of faded out on us for a bit there.”
“We think you went into the Void with Ares,” Aphrodite contributed.
“But we pulled you back,” Eden assured with a dirty look in Aphrodite ’s direction. “No problem.” She shrugged. “It wasn ’t like you were really gone or anything. It ’s more like you weren ’t all here. And let ’s face it....” she snarked with a twinkle in her eye. “It ’s not like....”
“Don ’t say it,” Eli commanded harshly, though the laughter in her gaze was hard to miss.
“But Boss....” she whined. Arianna snorted, but never moved from Eli ’s embrace.
“She does kind of have a point, Amado – for both of us. I ’m just glad to be here and not there. That was... weird.”
“It was something. I hope this means were done with Ares for good, though.”
“The fact that you were able to return while he remained there is a good sign. Nothing has ever returned from the Void before.”
“I don ’t think it was just us that did it,” Eli said with a pointed look at her friends.
“Perhaps. You should all get some rest. Then we need to talk before you leave.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“Not really. But there are a few things you need to know before you resume your journey. Go now. We ’ll keep watch for as long as you need to recover from all this.” And without another word, Zeus waved a hand and transported them all back to their ship.