by Gideon Mills
Time slowed for me as Lola made her move against Elric. Part of me felt like this was the coward’s way, but I also knew that this was the fastest way. That was more important than my own pride at the moment, though it still didn’t make this easy to be part of. I knew going in that we might resort to this type of fighting to save Fleur, if we had to.
Fleur didn’t take her eyes off of Belladonna, and the white-haired woman made a move to Lola. Belladonna wasn’t fast enough to stop Lola. The man was too distracted by me, and by hurting me, so didn’t react.
Lola’s taser zapped him to next week. Elric screamed out in pain, I swear I saw smoke coming from him. I know that couldn’t be possible, only something I would see in watching reruns of some of my favorite cartoons. I heard in my head several of my favorite characters saying, ‘we pwned you.’
Marie struggled in my grasp. “You killed him.”
It was the second time I’d heard that tonight, and again it wasn’t true. Elric would live, and he would be the key to taking down Reign, and hopefully Fenrir. Giving Marie a gentle tap, she was knocked out. I could have hurt her, but she was a minion and nothing more. I learned long ago that minions weren’t the ones to take out my vengeance on. Though tonight I took it out on a lot of them.
There was still one more person to remove from the equation. Belladonna was next to Fleur and the awful contraption. “I’ll suck all her power out,” the white-haired woman said. “I’ll make myself the new White Angel, and I’ll fit the bill better too.”
I groaned. She might have the look of an angel, but she was anything but. In another lifetime, or time really, a woman like her might be enough to tempt me. To see what a freak like her could be like, and how skilled she was in other parts of her life. That was the old me, and now I wasn’t even tempted.
Gritting my teeth, I looked at her with a rage that I was having trouble controlling. “You take her powers,” I said, standing in the most violent pose I could. “You’ll have the most painful several minutes of your life, and then I’ll kill you.”
My anger made my voice harsh and coarse to the point that I didn’t even recognize it. I hated this woman and everything she stood for. Hurting people for science, and for not being like her. That was wrong and reminded me too much of ancient Greece, and other periods of history.
“You wouldn’t,” Belladonna said. “You’re a hero.”
My nostrils flared, and my fist clenched. “I’m the God of War. I’ve done things that would make any human cringe in horror. I’ll unleash them all on you.”
I stepped forward, slow and steady. Forcing myself to not kill her. Lola had to be the one to take Fleur out of the device, just in case. And we needed Belladonna.
With the other two out of the picture, I was able to focus on Belladonna. She had an evil grin on her face. One that spooked even me, something that didn’t happen often. Before I could even react, she pressed a button and Fleur withered in pain. A howl exploded from the woman I loved, and the lady next to her laughed.
“Damn,” Lola said.
“What?” I said through a clenched jaw. My anger was reaching a boiling point, and I was ready to unleash the true wrath I held in me. Not caring if I had to flee and spend the rest of my life on the run from not only Hera, but the human authorities.
“She’s becoming a Paragon,” Lola said.
I furrowed my eyebrows. “What do you mean? How can you tell?”
Lola tapped a device in her hands: of course it would be capable of something like that. The Guardian really was one of the smartest people alive, maybe in the history of the Earth. She would fit right in with many of the Gods back on Olympus, some might even be envious of her.
Belladonna smirked, and the machine stopped. “It’s not your powers,” the vile woman said. “But it will have to do.”
Enough was enough. I ran at her with my full godly speed and tried to strike her. The woman dodged at the last moment. Belladonna moved with the fluidity of a dancer. That was unexpected, not many people or even Paragons would be able to avoid me.
Crinkling my nose, I spun and went in for another strike. Again she moved.
“She has Fleur’s powers,” Lola said. “Apparently not just the powers, but the skills she learned.”
That didn’t seem possible, but the evidence was in front of me. She moved with grace and speed that I had only seen in Fleur. This was going to be tough, and I didn’t like it. While Fleur couldn’t match my speed, her ability to master all martial arts gave her an advantage against many, even me.
The ability to anticipate my moves, and dodge me. To strike with precision that might even hurt me. Taking a deep breath in, moving around Belladonna, I calculated what my best move would be. Now I really wasn’t fighting the white-haired woman, but the woman I loved. How would I defeat the White Angel in a fight?
I won’t lie and pretend I hadn’t thought about it. A good hand-to-hand combat session can be some of the best foreplay in the world. Getting me in the mood for a great round in the sheets, and I fantasized about it with Fleur. This was going to be entirely different and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to defeat Belladonna.
The dance between Belladonna and I continued, each of us sizing up the other. Knowing neither of us had a real advantage over the other. While that was going on, Lola moved over to the machine that held Fleur. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see the Guardian remove White Angel from the machine. It was a sight to behold and gave me the motivation I needed.
Knowing that Fleur was being freed, and by a person she loved dearly, melted my heart. Sure I would have loved to be the one to do it, but Lola was the right one. She had the know-how and love for her.
“Freeing her means little,” Belladonna said. “Reign rules this city.”
I snorted. “Not for long.”
Belladonna howled. Her face was red, and her nostrils flared. The woman was angry, and in her primal state. Sometimes that was good for me, but others not so much. It really depended on the skills of the person. Primal instincts can take a person to the next level, but they can also make them mess up. “Nothing can stop us. Not even you, a wannabe God.”
I could tell that she was trying to get under my skin and get me to make a mistake. This wasn’t the first time in my illustrious fighting career that an opponent tried that approach, nor would it be the last. Many thought that would get me off guard, and it had once, many, many, years ago.
“Reign is on his way out,” I said. I lunged at her right side, and then spun to the right. She hadn’t seen the spin coming, and I was able to land a glancing blow on her right arm, before she reacted. It wasn’t enough to even knock her back.
One of the issues I was facing was not using all my godly strength, and trying not to one-shot kill her. If I was allowed to do that, and still be in the good graces of the law, I just might. I wanted to one-punch her, but I worried about going too far, and that made this even more difficult. Fucking weak, fragile humans.
“Nice move,” Belladonna said, smirking with enjoyment. She really did have the ability to drive a man crazy, and I could see why Felicity hated her so much. What I would give to have the squirrelkin here at my side right about now. She really was a talented fighter.
She would have been here if we hadn’t split up to find Fleur, but she was forced to go to the other building. I had little doubt she was on her way here, and would be joining us, if she could get to the top floor. I had no clue how Lola’s shield worked.
At least, with Elric down, his bubble was gone. We had access to the outside world. Not that I had anything coming in from the police. The comms system was completely silent. That was a scary thing, and made me wonder what was going on out there. I feared for them.
Pushing that aside, I focused on Belladonna and the task at hand. The glorious dance we were doing was one I would remember for a long time. The dodging and weaving around the room with each of us at the top of our game. The cruel woman managed to get a few kicks and pu
nches in on me, but they didn’t hurt.
Lola freed Fleur from the machine, but the White Angel collapsed to the floor. She was weak, and needed help. I had to end this fight and fast. The longer it went, on the more Fleur was in pain, the more the others might be as well.
Closing my eyes, I thought of all the possible moves and did what my dear sister Athena would do if she were here.
Standing as still as a gargoyle, I waited for Belladonna to move. She sneered at me, and waited for me to move. She was a patient one as well. That was something I really didn’t have much of anymore.
She circled around me, but stayed away from the others. Not only did she avoid Lola and Fleur, but Elric and Marie. Those two were nearly forgotten in this mess of a fight. So many had to be beat to get here.
I remained strong and steady. Waiting for her to act, and make the mistake that I knew she would. She paused and started to me, but stopped. I moved. Faster that I had ever moved before. So fast that even Hermes would be impressed. A flash. I was next to her and I struck a flurry of blows against her. None strong, but hundreds of them in a second.
She dropped to the ground, and looked up at me with a pained look on her face.
It was over.
I went to Fleur and Lola and held them both. Two of the most important people in my life. Two of the greatest.
34
A Blur of Activity
I had no idea when the others arrived, but soon the room was full of people. McGarrett was there arresting Elric, Marie, and Belladonna. Medics appeared to help anyone that needed it.
“White Angel first,” I said.
All of them nodded, and did as I said. None were willing to risk my wrath right about now.
The next thing I knew, Felicity and Athena were here too, doing all they could to support and help us.
Felicity was talking fast and furious. “I can’t believe I didn’t get to fight her,” she said. “I hate her.”
I knew she did, and blamed the woman for her suffering. Felicity saw that we all were drained, and stopped. Went into a loving, caring mode. One to help us all. One that I needed.
I wasn’t sure how long we were there. Or even when we left. It was a blur after that, dealing with all of it. One thing I knew was that we had to talk, and see if we could use Belladonna against Reign. That was the key.
But I needed rest, and the others did too. McGarrett made sure that Belladonna was taken to a place where Reign wouldn’t be able to interfere. One that was controlled by Fleur and some other Academy-trained Paragons that worked for the Federal Government.
All of us spent the night in Fleur’s room, watching her sleep. We made sure she was safe and sound. The four of us eventually fell asleep on Fleur’s bed, and woke up together.
That was one of the best things to happen in the last few days. Saving Fleur, and sleeping with the women. While we didn’t have any adult fun, just being with them was enough. Feeling them safe and sound. All of us.
I was the first to wake, and slowly untwined myself from the others. Not leaving the room, I sat next to the bed and watched the three most amazing women in the world sleep. In the corner of the room, I saw my sister, who had been in and out the whole night.
“Ares,” she said. She had a phone pressed to her ear.
“Sister.”
She walked over to me. “I’ll call you back.”
“Who was that?” I asked.
“McGarrett,” she said. “We need to get on to dealing with Belladonna. Make her flip on Reign.”
I had hoped that just capturing Belladonna, Elric, Stefan, and Marie would be enough. To have them all and tied to Reign since they were captured together.
“Can’t we just arrest him?”
Athena shook her head. “No. Only Belladonna has direct ties, and Reign has already been on the offensive.”
I groaned. Reign was a slippery devil, and I didn’t like him one bit. He truly reminded me of Hades, and had the ability to avoid any and all punishment. This time I wasn’t going to let that happen. Reign was going down, no matter what. I’d had enough of the man and his meddling.
An hour later with everyone awake, we traveled to the secret prison that McGarrett set up with the help of several other Paragons that had worked with Fleur or Felicity in the past.
Athena led the way out of the city, and into Jersey. I hadn’t spent much time out of New York since I arrived back, outside of running for my life. We stopped in a nondescript town halfway to Philly.
The place that was holding the three evildoers didn’t look like much. I was the first out of the car that we had driven, one that Athena had picked up that was able to hold all of us. Some sort of hybrid crossover.
As the rest of the people piled out of the car, McGarrett exited the building, but he wasn’t alone. A man was with him, one that was vaguely familiar-looking. I had seen him in the Paragon magazine.
Felicity appeared next to me, leaning in real close to me before she spoke. “Is that Bionicman?”
That was it, he was the superhero from Detroit that had a suit that gave him the ability to fly, among other things. He was just over six feet tall, had a neatly trimmed beard that covered his face, and light blond hair. He was fit, and held a smile on his face despite the situation.
Fleur and Lola were now next to me. A good night’s rest and both were one hundred percent, and ready to kick some butts. Lola had her laptop with her, and was ready to help us get what we needed. It had been nice to know that Fleur would be back to herself in record time.
“Duke,” Fleur said. “It’s been a long time.”
The man laughed. “Not that long,” he said.
“They both attended Paragon Academy at the same time,” Lola said. “What was that, five years ago?”
Duke Ryder nodded. “Yup. Not that long ago, see, only five years.”
“Five years is a lifetime in hero years,” Fleur said.
“Isn’t that the truth,” Duke said. “No matter how much I try, I can’t seem to keep my city safe.”
Duke Ryder not only was the hero Bionicman, but the CEO of one of the largest tech companies around. He’d started it after he graduated from Michigan and then dropped out of Harvard Business School.
From what I read about him, his Paragon abilities were enhanced intelligence. Just what I thought Lola had, but she was certain she didn’t.
“We have them secured,” McGarrett said.
That was good news, but expected. “Bionicman has been a great help. Only person that I’ve seen that might be smarter is Guardian.”
Duke laughed. It was a playful one, and made him appear carefree. I hoped that one day I got to work in the field with him. “No one is smarter than I am.”
I wasn’t sure about that, but I wasn’t about to argue with the man. He built a suit that let him fly in the air. It shot different types of bullets and missiles, and who knows what else it did. While I had no clue if Lola could do that, she hadn’t yet.
“I agree,” Lola said. “I’m good, but not like Duke.”
Duke winked at her, but it was a friendly one, and I didn’t have to worry about him. He was a flirt, and one that wouldn’t be a threat to me.
“Let’s get this over with,” I said.
“Let’s,” Felicity said. The fiery Squirrelkin took the lead and walked in the door after the two men exited.
I was right on her tail, taking the furry appendage in. She was right that time was of the essence. Athena was not too far behind us, and the rest trailed in. Before I was in the hallway, Duke was next to me.
“I’ve been reading a lot about you,” he said. “You intrigue me, I would love to talk to you.”
Shrugging, I continued down the hall, McGarrett leading the way. “Maybe when this is all over,” I said.
Duke laughed. “Maybe; your sister there, Athena, has been filling me in. Lots of interesting things happening. You think it will spill over to Detroit?”
I had little doubt about this war wi
th my mother spilling over. She wanted to take over all of Earth, destroy the whole planet. Hera was trying to kill all humans.
“Eventually,” I answered him.
Duke groaned. “I was afraid of that. You really need to get this Reign guy removed.”
“We will,” I said.
It was time take this big step, and do just that. Remove Reign and give my mother a big blow.
After what felt like an eternity, we were in a room staring through a pane of glass that was really a two-way mirror. I had seen this on shows like NCIS and wondered if it was real or not. Guess here it was, but I hadn’t seen it at the police station. Not saying it wasn’t used there, but I had my doubts.
Belladonna sat in the room, staring at the mirror. I had little doubt that she knew we were watching her. It sent chills through my body; tension in the room was high. I had no idea how we were going to go about this.
“What’s the plan?” I asked.
It was deathly silent. No one seemed to have an answer, and that didn’t instill a lot of hope that we would succeed in this mission. That was a yet another troubling thought. One that I didn’t like. We had to get her to turn against Reign, and have the others provide the evidence we needed.
With Reign out of the way we could turn our focus on to Fenrir, and then to my mother. I looked up to Mount Olympus where I was sure that dear mother was looking down and waiting to see how this turned out. My uncle too, Poseidon said he would help us defeat Hera, but we had to have some victories. None of the Gods would support a losing cause. Even though we would all lose if Hera won.
“Let me talk to her,” Athena said. “I might be able to sway her to see our side.”
Felicity was licking her lips. “I can make her talk.” The squirrelkin cracked her knuckles, and showed us all her claws. They were a force to be reckoned with. I wouldn’t want to stand between her and Belladonna. She hated the woman more than anyone else in the world.
“You’re too invested,” McGarrett said.
