Chapter 26 - The Battle

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The two men stepped out into the snow, the blizzard seemed to have abated temporarily. Hermes put his hand on Hades’ shoulder.

“I wanted to marry her, you know,” he said with a wry grin.

Hades did not remove his gaze from the mountain tops, “I know.”

“Set her free, Hades, your union will only bring the both of you pain. There is too much between you to ever be happy. She belongs in Olympus with the rest of her kind. And you belong--”

“I think I have had enough advice for today, young messenger,” Hades replied with a snarl. “Take us to his temple.”

As they shot through the sky, hurtling towards the mountain above, Hades heard a whisper in his mind -- You will not be alone.

They reached the edge of Ares’ domain and Hermes turned to him, giving him a swift bow. His eyes were fathomless as he looked up at Hades and there may have been regret in their blue depths. “Here is where I leave you, Dispater. I wish you luck. You do not deserve the hand you have been dealt, but the cards are yours all the same.” He vanished as suddenly as he had appeared and Hades stood alone on the precipice. The stench of death was unmistakable. The mountains were made from the bodies of dead men, their corpses lining the ground, wrapping around the trees. Rain began to fall, as lightning crackled through the sky and the rivers ran swift, their waters swirling with blood. Soldiers lined the rugged mountaintops as Hades ascended the mountain, their swords drawn but no one touched him. He knew why they waited. Their God dictated their orders and Ares would want to watch. He finally reached the peak and there Ares stood on the furthest ledge, holding the glowing golden blade of the “God Killer” against Persephone’s throat, the crimson jewels of the pomegranate necklace shining around her neck. Hades stepped forward, his eyes moving over her battered form.

“Ares,” he called in a calm voice, “let her go.”

The grip Ares had in her hair tightened and the blade edged closer to her flesh. With his opposite hand, he dug his fingers into her neck, and a small rivulet of blood ran down her throat. Hades wanted to cry out but any reaction would merely fuel Ares’ bloodlust. Persephone must know it too, for she did not make a sound as he moved the blade to graze over her throat, merely keeping her eyes fixed on his. She was brave -- his wife.

“And why would I do that?” Ares contemptuously asked.

"I do not want to kill you," Hades said.

Ares laughed, the sound tainted with madness. “Do you not see what I hold in my hand? I will not die today.”

Hades kept his gaze focused on the small drop of blood that travelled down Persephone’s chest. Hades said, “Zeus has ordered Persephone to be given back to her mother. I am complying with that. This fight is only between the two of us. Our marriage will be dissolved.” He could see the stricken expression on her face even at a distance and he knew Ares saw it too. “Let me say goodbye to her. Whether I live or die, this is the last time I will see her.”

Ares smiled. “Oh no, that is too easy, corpse whisperer. Swear an oath on your precious Styx that you will fight me and I will let you say goodbye. You can die by my blade or die from breaking your oath. Either way, I do not care as long as I can be there to listen to your last breath.”

Hades bent, placing his helmet on the ground. He lifted his hand in the air and again the blue flamed sword he had wielded in the Underworld appeared. He grasped it, using the edge to slice his palm and he raised his right hand, a silver goblet appearing in his outstretched palm. "By my blood I swear, on my mother’s grave and on the River Styx. If you let me say goodbye, I will fight you.” He drank deeply from the cup as the blood trickled down his arm seeping into the ground.

Ares’ laughter filled the air as he pushed Persephone towards Hades. “Here,” he called, “take the little bitch. I am not sure I want your seconds anyway.”

Persephone fell down the hill roughly, but Hades caught her before she could land at his feet. He picked her up against him and she clung to him desperately, her eyes welling with tears. He brushed his fingers against a bruise swelling on her cheek.

“Why did you do that?” she whispered frantically. “You cannot fight him. You heard what he said, he has the God Killing sword. He will kill you.” She pulled at him, her hands urgent. “We can hide in the Underworld, we can leave. He cannot fight both of us.”

Ares was calling out orders behind them and Hades watched as the troops lifted their bows and Ares was shifting his feet restlessly as he readied for battle. “Oh, Persephone,” he whispered. “How I have loved you. Remember that." He bent forward, pressing his lips against hers briefly, and then he placed the helmet of invisibility on her head and pushed her away. “Run,” he said softly to the empty space beside him.

A scream of denial filled the air, shaking the mountain. The sky rained arrows and Hades twisted his hand. A legion of troops collapsed on the ground, falling like puppets over the hillside. He pulled the blue-flamed sword again from the air, and Hades flew up the mountain, using the wind as his shield to repel any arrow that came towards him. He climbed up the bodies of the dead soldiers, relentlessly cutting down any man that came into his path, his eyes fixed on the mad God who stood laughing as his own soldiers fell on the mountainside. When Hades reached the top, he leapt into the air, arcing his blade towards Ares, even as the War God lifted his own; as the swords struck, a flash of yellow-green light illuminated the heavens and the Earth reverberated with the force. The two Gods weaved in and out of the shadows, each swing causing the ground to tremble beneath their feet. Lightning twisted around them as Hades jumped and Ares quickly shielded himself with the body of a decaying soldier. For a moment, Hades’ blade stuck in the ribs of the corpse, but then he used the body to knock Ares to the ground, the momentum freeing his sword so that the was able to slice Ares arm with the edge. Quickly he removed the arrow from his robes attempting to stab Ares in the heart, but his armor was too Impenetrable.

Ares laughed up at him. "You are trying to put a love spell on me? If you wanted to fuck me, Hades, all you had to do was ask.”

Hades realized he would have to rip the armor off if he wanted to penetrate the War God’s body. He was pulled back suddenly. Soldiers were jumping down from the cliffs surrounding them, hundreds making their way towards them, some of them dying from the fall. Hades twisted his hand and the crunch of a hundred necks breaking simultaneously filled the night air. “You needlessly sacrifice your soldiers,” Hades roared. “This fight is between you and I. No one else.”

Ares stood then, brushing the decaying entrails of the corpse carelessly from his body. “It matters not how many die before I kill you. All that matters is that you die.”

Persephone watched from the ground. She had realized she was invisible when she looked down and she could no longer see her hands. It was confirmed when the soldiers ran past her without even a glance. Briefly fingering the golden chain around her neck, she stood and silently began to move closer to Hades. Lifting her hands into the air, she wove thick, poisonous vines up and around Ares' legs, the thorns digging painfully into his skin.

He chopped them away with his sword and snarled at Hades, "Between you and I? Your bitch is interfering.” Hades punched him hard in the face and Ares fell back, slicing at Hades stomach as he collapsed to the ground. The sword just cut the edge of his skin, but the pain was like nothing he had ever felt, the burning and ripping of flesh so powerful that his sight was temporarily obscured. Suddenly he felt claws tearing at his back; the birds of Stymphalian flew down from the skies gashing his arms and face with their metal beaks and claws, tearing relentlessly at this skin. He pushed them away with a bolt of light, wiping the blood from his eyes.They began to pour from the skies in thousands and Hades turned to look at them when a giant burst of ice and snow hit the creatures. Hades looked briefly towards the meadows below and saw Demeter. He knew who the voice had been that whispered to him as he ascended the mountain. He watched as she froze the troops on the mountains and blasted the birds back with a second, arctic wind. The snow drifted down to Earth covering the land and the temperatures dropped to a deadly degree. Thorny vines were twisting over the mountain and covering everything in their path. Climbing roses pulled the troops to the ground, blanketing them until they suffocated beneath their weight. The vines leapt into the air, dragging the birds to the ground. Tiny spores opened at the end of each vine putting them into a deep slumber. He knew it was Persephone. He had been right, even a Stymphalian she would not kill.

More vines burst from the ground, stronger and thicker than before as they wrapped around Ares, and he realized Demeter and Persephone were working together, the creeping plants frozen solid as they erupted  from the soil. Hades leapt forward, ripping the breastplate from Ares' chest, tearing apart the metal, but a shoulder shield was still covering his heart. Hades grabbed at his arm and tore the armor off of it, breaking nerve, sinew and bone as he ripped it from the War God. Ares let out an agonized scream and stabbed Hades in the leg with his blade. Hades swung the arrow but Ares knocked it from his hand and it tumbled down the mountain.

"One of us dies tonight," Ares cried, spittle dribbling from his lips. He yanked his arm and snapped the bone back in place. “No more games.”

They ran towards each other, clashing swords again. Yellow met blue and an explosion from the blades flung both weapons out of their hands, driving the swords over the mountain side. The Gods circled each other.

“I am going to enjoy killing you,” Ares taunted. “Perhaps I will fuck Persephone one last time. See if you taught her anything worthwhile.”

Hades flung himself towards him, plummeting him with his fists. “You fucking rapist,” he spat, knocking him to the ground. He beat him over and over and watched with pleasure as his perfect nose shattered beneath his fists, blood splattering Ares’ beautiful face, and still it was not enough. He would not be satisfied until he felt his brain in his hands. Ares grabbed his fists suddenly and sparks began to wrap around his hands, traveling up Hades’ arms.

Hades drew back slowly, his eyes narrowed as he looked at his nephew. “Careful,” Hades whispered, “your Zeus is starting to show." With a mighty blast, Hades blew them both to the ground. Both of them landed hard on the snow covered ground below and Hades realized too late that Ares lay right next to the silver blade. He gave another war cry, lifting it off the ground as he stood with unsteady legs. Ares stumbled towards the God of Death with a gleam of madness in his bulging eyes, the sword dragging against the snow covered ground.

“How ironic that you will die by the blade that you killed Rhea with.”

Hades crawled back towards the edge of the cliff. “You know many secrets, Ares,” Hades said in a quiet voice.

Ares laughed gleefully. “Do you want to know a secret? After I kill you, I will obliterate her. First I will fuck her and then I will destroy her. Maybe I will do the same with Demeter too, just for good measure.” He snickered again. “You think this ends here? ” A voice penetrated Hades mind, I will take everything from you.

Hades placed his hands against the rocks at his back, preparing to bring down the mountain over both of them as Ares lifted the sword high above his head, strange lights of madness dancing in his eyes. Something sped past him, a small golden light and Hades watched in shock as a golden arrow flew into the War God’s heart, plunging deep in his chest. Ares eyes widened in disbelief, looking down at his chest as he fell to his knees, dropping his weapon. Hades flew to his side and pushed the arrow deeper, making sure to pierce his heart.  As he did so, both men cried out in concert and Hades clutched at his heart in pain. He stumbled slightly and saw the small golden tip protruding from Ares’ back. Perhaps Hades had pushed it too far, he thought with satisfaction. He began to move away when Ares’ hand snatched out, grasping him.

“Hades,” he whispered, his blue eyes hazed with pain. Hades shook him off impatiently. They both turned at a small sound,  invisible footsteps in the deep snow.

Persephone removed the helmet, her long, dark hair tumbling over her shoulders. She held a beautiful mahogany bow embellished with exotic red flowers; the flowers of the pomegranate tree. The golden chain at her neck had the jewels torn out of it and he knew what she had done. Her lips were stained with the seeds of the pomegranate. Ares watched her with stunned eyes, his hand grasping the arrow as blood pooled around his fingers.

“It began with an arrow and it ends with an arrow.” Her voice was strange in the frozen air, and the wind crackled around her as she stepped forward, her emerald eyes glowing in the darkness.

“Persephone,” Hades whispered.

The wind moved lovingly over her and she looked like a huntress, like a ferocious, conquering Queen with the Gods of War and Death bowed at her feet.

“I told you, I will not be separated from you,” she said softly. She lifted the bow and raised her face to the heavens -- to Mount Olympus, to Zeus. Her voice echoed eerily in the snow filled meadow.

“This bow shows the world that I am part of the Underworld.” Lightning flashed across the sky, the Earth trembling as it arced above them. “I am the Queen of Shades, the Queen of Death, and I rule the Kingdom of the Damned.” She turned back to Hades, her voice quiet once more and he knew he did not imagine the red flame in her gaze. “This bow shows I am part of you.”

Demeter had reached the valley where they stood and she gasped as she saw the bow held in her daughter's hands. “Oh, Persephone,” she cried, “what have you done?”

Persephone took a step towards her mother, the red gleam fading from her eyes as she dropped her bow. Hades wrapped his arms around her and they both vanished from view.