Cry, Nike! (The Judas Curse)

by Angella Graff

  “Nearly the entire time,” Ben said. It was nearly dark now, and Ben felt slightly exposed in the clearing they were in, with the fire blazing. If Nike wanted to get the jump on them, it would be a little too easy for Ben’s comfort.

  Alex knelt down and put his wrist against the other man’s forehead. “He’s not going to last long.”

  “Well we just need him to hang on until she gets here,” Mark said in a sort of cold, shiftless voice. “Right?”

  Alex shot a glare in Mark’s direction, but didn’t answer him. Ben didn’t blame him, either. Andrew was awkward and difficult, but the god inside was Alex’s brother. Thor’s brother. Timeless and ancient, and he was willingly giving up his existence in this world to save humans. Gods, too, but the humans were a bigger risk, and Ben hadn’t forgotten that.

  “If Nike takes her time, we may have a problem,” was all Alex ended up saying.

  A tense silence settled over the group as one-by-one, they all sat around the fire. Having spent relatively little time in the desert, Ben was surprised at how cold it got the moment the sun was down. A heavy chill settled in the area, and he found himself sitting close to the fire, a long stick in his hands as he prodded the logs to keep the flames up high.

  They were all on alert. Ears straining to hear the faintest change, minds still and waiting, knowing what was coming, knowing the danger they were in because there was no telling when she was going to show up. Ben guessed it would take her several hours after they arrived, seeing as she was much further north and they were traveling with a human, so unless they flew, the small group had some time.

  It wasn’t a lot of time, but there was no more stalling, no more planning. What was done was done, and it had come to this. The end, either of their lives or of Nike’s rampage, and either way, there would be blood and death. Ben stared into the flames of the fire, letting his breath flow through him, trying to maintain his adrenaline as he waited. The flames crackled, and the night waned on.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  No one dared sleep, but they’d all lulled into a comfortable void when Ben heard it. Or rather, he felt it, because it wasn’t quite a noise, but it shot directly through him. His heart sped up and he simply knew that Nike was near.

  The ground around them gave a rumble, unnatural for the area, and there was a loud crack as a boulder near the edge of the stone circle cracked in half. Ben was on his feet in seconds, followed directly by Alex and Mark. Jude stayed low, hunkered down near the still-unconscious body of Andrew, and Persephone stood at alert a few paces away from the fire.

  “She’s here,” Alex hissed.

  No shit, Ben wanted to snap, but before he had time, something erupted out of the ground, flaring to life, glowing brighter than Ben was capable of looking at. It wasn’t even quite visual, giving Ben the impression it existed on another plane of existence, and he realized right then, it was the portal. The portal, which he hadn’t been able to see before, and it stood now, vast and infinite.

  He felt sick, thinking about it, the human mind not really built to comprehend things like eternity and infinity, but he knew he had to keep it together. They had a plan, as vague as it was, but it was as cohesive as they could have managed it.

  Hades was first on scene, looking as he had before. His suit crisp and pressed, and though Ben could see his wings, his true form, he wondered if the others could as well. Hades stepped close to them, glancing at the portal, but his face was passive as he stepped into the light of the fire and smiled.

  “Ah, glad you could make it,” he said with a nod. He paused, exchanging a long, slow look with Persephone that seemed to sizzle with regret and hatred, and Ben had to bite down on the inside of his cheek to keep from saying a word.

  “Where is she?” Ben asked, his jaw still clenched.

  “On her way. With the human.”

  “Does she know?” Ben’s voice was low and terrified, because he had taken Hades on his word, and there was every reason in the universe for this creature to turn on him now.

  Hades laughed. “No, but believe me when I tell you, I’m not here to help you. You’re on your own, our deal has been met.”

  Suddenly, faster than his eyes could process, Hades closed the distance between himself and Persephone. He had a hand around her neck, squeezing so hard she let out a choking noise, but she made no move to defend herself.

  “And this is my farewell to you,” he sneered.

  “I know,” she replied, and Ben heard the broken anguish in those two words and it hurt. He had loved her, and watching her hurt was killing him a little bit inside. But, he had no choice. Persephone’s actions had led them here, and Ben had to end it.

  The earth beneath them began to rumble again, nearly throwing Ben off balance, but he caught himself on a larger rock and drew his gun. He wasn’t sure it was going to be completely effective against the goddess, but he had to try. The others were fumbling into the bags for the syringes filled with the concoction Greg had created, though Ben suddenly realized it would be pure luck if they were able to get close enough to her to use them.

  “Just you?” Ben asked Hades.

  There was a long pause before Hades let his hand slip away from Persephone’s throat, and he turned to Ben. “Aside from the human, as you requested.”

  Ben gave a nod. “You’d better… go.”

  There was a huge crackling noise suddenly, like trees being uprooted. A dull roar sounded off in the distance, and Ben knew that she was on her way. A soft cry sounded through the night, as their entire party had gone dead silent, and Ben recognized the timber of Olivia’s voice.

  If I can’t save my sister, I can at least save her, he thought as they waited and watched the darkness surrounding them. Alex moved up next to Ben and took him by the arm. “Andrew won’t wake. We may need to kill his vessel when we have Nike cornered.”

  “If we get her cornered,” Ben said.

  And then, out of the blackness of the trees, the girl appeared. Ben hadn’t forgotten her face, the soft kind eyes, long hair, though now she looked beaten and scared. Her hair was in tangles, her clothes tattered and dirty. She was thin, her hands shaking, and her eyes wandered like she was lost. Ben’s jaw clenched, the thought of how long Nike had this poor woman, and his desire to end her was refueling.

  There was a light laugh, light and tinkling as the familiarity cut Ben straight through the heart. It was the laugh he’d grown up with, he’d heard since he could remember. It was Abby, and Ben had to take a deep breath and remind himself over and over that it was not Abby. It was Nike, and she had to be stopped.

  “I can’t believe you showed,” her voice sounded before she appeared. She took a few steps, the ground crunching beneath her feet as she kicked rocks aside. She wore a simple black dress, her hair pulled back out of her face and secured at the nape of her neck. She wore a little makeup, more than Abby would have worn, but less than she wore the last time Ben had seen her. She looked… tired.

  “Nike,” Ben said.

  Nike glanced over at Hades, who’d taken residence a few feet away from the unconscious body of Andrew. She gave him a small grin and looked back at the group of people waiting to take her down. “Ballsy, I must say. I mean really, after everything you’ve been through, I have to say I’m a little surprised you all came for this.”

  “We came to—” Mark said, but Nike waved her hand lazily through the air and before Ben’s eyes, both Mark and Judas collapsed, completely unconscious.

  She grinned at Ben, who was desperately trying not to show his shock as he pointed his gun at her. “I picked up a new trick or two, thanks to your little friend not cleaning up his mess all the way,” she said. She took a step toward Ben, and he took one back, gripping the gun tighter. “You do realize that’s not going to do you any good, don’t you? I mean Benny, darling, look where we are!”

  She threw back her head and laughed, but as she did, Alex lunged. It took her by surprise, along with Ben, and before she could react,
he plunged one of the syringes into her neck and pressed down. Ben took a step backwards, trying to gain even footing as he watched Nike grip the needle from her neck with one hand, and with her other, wrap her long fingers around Alex’s neck.

  “Cute,” she hissed. “Very cute, and every stupid. I thought I told you I’d learned a few new tricks.” Glancing at Ben with a small smile, she lifted Alex off his feet and threw him. Ben gasped as Alex’s body hit a tree, crumping at the base with a sickening thud.

  Bile rose into Ben’s throat and he realized he was officially outnumbered. He took one more step back, his foot now brushing against Andrew’s leg and he looked down. “Any time now, Heimdall,” he said, hoping invoking the Norse god’s name would rouse him.

  Nike wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms. “Oh Benny,” she said.

  Ben noticed the movement out of the corner of his eye before he saw it, and hear the sickening crack before he turned and saw Hades’s foot on Andrew’s chin, the head twisted now at an unnatural angle.

  Ben waited for something to happen. Anything. Andrew was free of his human vessel and he was supposed to take her. The portal was glowing off in the distance, rumbling against the earth, beneath Ben’s feet, and he clutched his gun tighter. Should he kill her, he wondered. He raised the barrel, pointed at Nike’s forehead.

  “No darling, before you could pull the trigger I would end you,” she said, tisking her tongue.

  “You realize you’re not going to walk out of here alive,” Ben said. He sounded infinitely braver than he felt, ignoring the trembling in his hands. He took a step forward, toward the body of his sister, and he took a deep breath.

  Nike’s smile widened. She cocked her head to the side and Ben felt sudden pressure in his wrist, like an invisible hand squeezing, making the bones ache. He cried out as he felt a slight crack and unconsciously he pushed back against her power, and the pressure lessened slightly.

  Nike’s face fell slightly. “Interesting.”

  Ben licked is lips and tried to ignore the pain flaring up through his arm. A bone had broken, but it was not in his trigger hand, and he’d been in a much worse state. He moved to take another step toward her now, his eyes flickering over to Persephone who hadn’t moved from her place a few feet away. She looked petrified, but stoic as she looked between Nike and Ben.

  As his foot lifted from the ground, the earth gave another shake, violent, throwing Ben to the side and his ribs cracked hard against the large rock he used to try and steady himself. He felt his skin tear, blood trickling down, but he didn’t feel the pain. His adrenaline was pumping, his body in full-on shock, and he was ready to end this. Persephone or no, this was between him and Nike.

  He glanced off to the light of the portal and saw her there. The woman, Olivia, looking battered but hysterical. She was on her knees in front of the light, rocking back and forth, hands over her face. She was shouting in a language Ben didn’t understand, but the louder she became, the harder the ground trembled and beyond the roaring of the land, Ben heard Nike laughing.

  “You were never going to win this,” Nike was saying. She sounded closer to Ben, but he couldn’t tell. His feet were unsteady and he was concentrating on keeping ahold of his weapon.

  Ben shook his head, ignored his wrist, ignored his side, and he planted is feet firmly. The rumble slowed to a gentle tremor as Olivia’s voice rose, and he could feel something, something big and powerful, just beyond that hazy light. He bent his knees to keep his balance and he blinked against the dark. The flames of the fire began to die out slowly, and he found Nike walking slowly toward Olivia.

  Panicked, Ben darted forward after her. He felt betrayed by Hades, confused and lost, and extremely alone, but he wasn’t about to let it end like this. He wasn’t going to die because of this crazed thing. The death-toll by her hand was beyond anything Ben could truly comprehend. The fact that there were others like her, waiting in the wings, waiting to see if she’d come out on top, fueled Ben’s fury and he moved, step-by-step, in her wake.

  “Enough,” he called. They were near the portal now, the power from it flowing out in tidal waves, washing over him and his entire body thrummed. His fingers pressing gently against the trigger felt almost numb, and the muscles around his eyes began to spasm, but he kept his gaze locked on Nike. She got closer to the light of the portal and her face began to contort.

  She seemed taller then, broader, her face shifting into something that wasn’t Abby at all. It was a thing, the thing she had been long before time had existed and she walked the earth in her own form. She was beautiful and hideous and Ben’s stomach churned almost violently.

  “Bring forth the gods, your creators,” Nike said, her tone neutral, but her voice washing over Olivia who rocked harder and cried out louder. “Bring them into this world.”

  It happened like Ben was watching it in slow motion, and later when he tried to recall the events, things didn’t play out quite right. He stood there, gun pointed at her, and then suddenly everything shifted. A dark shadow passed in front of the portal, large, encompassing wings blocking out the light. Olivia was there, still crying out her prayers, but something had Nike. Something had brought the goddess to her knees.

  Ben shook his head, trying to clear his vision from the waves of power emanating from the glowing light, and when he blinked again, Persephone was there. She had him, a gun in her hand, and it was pointed behind her at Nike’s head. Her eyes were fixed on Ben and she was crying openly, but he’d never seen her look more determined.

  “Shoot me,” she said.

  “What?”

  Persephone laughed, her voice frustrated and scared, but absolutely determined. “I’m going to shoot her, and when I do, you have to shoot me. I know perfectly well you were sent here to kill me, and I’ve known from the moment I got involved I wasn’t going to make it out of this alive. You’ve watched your sister die too many times, Ben, and that was my fault. I’m not going to make you kill her, but you have to end this. Shoot me, kill this body, and when I’m released, I’ll take her.”

  Ben looked beyond Persephone, at Nike who was struggling against the thing holding her. It wasn’t Hades. The thing who had her was taller, more broad, his features chiseled and wide. Apollo, he realized, and Apollo was speaking in low, venomous tones.

  “You did this to yourself. I was there for you, from moment your form came squirming onto this planet, I was yours. You could have had me as a god, and ally, and instead you chose this. You made your choice, Nike, and now you have to pay.”

  “Stop! I didn’t know,” she cried out, trying to break free of him, but she couldn’t move. No matter what power and what new tricks she had learned, she was no match for the ones who called themselves Angels once. Apollo had her, and Ben could end this now.

  He turned back to Persephone. “I…”

  “Just remember that I did this, okay? I’m paying for my mistakes now, happily, but never forget that I did love you. I did. And I’m sorry.”

  Ben felt his heart leap into his throat. He’d been through so much and he had been ready to kill her. He’d been ready to kill her, kill Nike and be done with it. He was ready to mourn his sister and somehow, however he could, move on.

  Now, though, as he looked at Persephone and he saw her purpose, and her nature, and how everything she’d done, she’d done for him, he regretted it. He didn’t want her to die. He was sorry, too. The portal gave another power shift and Ben almost lost his balance once more.

  “You’d better move quicker than that, human,” Apollo called.

  Nike struggled against him, and Persephone gave Ben one last look before she turned away, leveled the gun at Nike, and pulled the trigger. Ben did too, as if by reflex, in shock that he’d done it at all. It felt as though he were watching from far off as the gun recoiled and the bullet flew out and imbedded into her forehead. He felt so far off he didn’t quite hear the thud as her body hit the ground, and he didn’t quite feel the surge of power as Persephone le
ft her dead, human host and flew at the shimmering shade of Nike.

  Being human, Ben didn’t see when they went through the gates, but he felt it. The ground shook, the air roared, and heat, hotter than any furnace shot out, a rush of power picking up Ben, Olivia and Apollo from the ground, and threw them twenty feet across the room.

  It was almost serene, almost slow-motion as Ben flew through the air. He watched the ground grow closer, and he knew it was going to hurt, and he thought for a second he might die, but it was also over. It was finally, and completely over. He met the ground with a thud and everything, just for a moment, went black.

  Chapter Thirty

  Hades watched with a frown as Apollo went flying with the others. It was unexpected. Apollo was too powerful to be truly affected by even that level of power surge from a god portal. It wasn’t until Ben’s body was frozen, inches above the ground, that Hades realized what was happening.

  Apollo’s wings were spread out wide, flapping against the absence of air as everything stopped. It was a trick, a powerful trick, and only one of his own brethren could accomplish such a feat. Apollo’s feet touched down and he was standing in front of Hades, his eyes narrow slits.

  “It’s over,” he said.

  Hades glanced over at the fallen, battered body of Persephone’s most recent host, and he closed his eyes. It was over. He felt an absence inside of him now, a place she had always occupied. The wound to his soul was bleeding rivers, but it would heal, and he would move on. He took a breath and realized he wasn’t sure he quite knew, just yet, how to live with her.

  He looked back at his brother and said, “And for you?”

  Apollo took a step back and it was then Hades realized that Apollo was in shock. “She’s gone,” was all he said.

  “You’re better off,” Hades said, an almost desperation in his voice. “She was beneath you, controlling you needlessly only to cast you off because she needed something to dominate her.”