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The sound of their voices has me jumping into action, the usual flames trailing across my fingertips before I aim it in their direction. A growl bursts from one of their lips as they slice their blades through the air, cutting right through the fireball I sent in their direction, and I watch the embers flicker at their feet.
Fuck.
Rhea steps in front of me before I can direct anything else toward them and my magic flickers to the very edge of my body, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as my head falls back and my wings tear from my body. Feeling the feathers flutter around me calms me at the same time as they propel me into action. With them around me, I somehow know I’m safe, even when I’m charging toward the enemy.
“Harmonia!” Rhea calls out my name as I near the two hounds, both of them snarling at me as I push up off the ground, floating through the air, before I land back on the ground beside them. I make a mental note to definitely learn how to throw a flip into the mix the next time I do that, but quickly push it to the back of my mind as I thrust my arms in their direction, sending two more fireballs right for them.
The hound to the left doesn’t react quick enough, burning up before my very eyes as the one to the right spits in my direction. The liquid that comes from its mouth barely misses me, my wings quickly defending me, but I watch in complete horror as it burns through a layer of feathers. A cry bursts from my lips, the pain in my body from the burn consuming me, like acid is tearing through my skin.
Motherfucker.
Before I can even consider how to retaliate, my powers take over and I charge toward him as the other hound continues to burn. A hint of pain ripples through my hand and draws my eyes down, only to find claws extending from my fingers just before I thrust my hand at the fucker before me, sinking the sharp edges into his throat as I pin him to the wall behind him.
He gurgles in agony, blood trickling down my talons as I sneer at him. At the same time, I lift my other hand and produce a ball of fire once more, hovering it inches in front of his face. Fury coils inside of me, dismay at my damaged wing causing a turbulent mixture of pain and sadness, and I use that to channel everything toward this asshole.
Just as I’m about to bring the embers of the flame directly against his face, I watch in complete surprise as he rots before my very eyes. I whip my hand back from his throat, gaping as he turns into a crumpled pile of black, decaying flesh and crumbling bones.
What the Hell?
I glance to my left to find Rhea right beside me, her chest heaving with every breath as she glares down at the motherfucker with me.
“Are you okay?” I blink at her question, unsure how to actually answer as I slowly retract the claws and fire from my hands.
“I will be,” I finally manage, hoping there’s something I can do to fix my wing once we’re done here, but I don’t say anything about it now, focusing instead on getting closer to putting this all to rest. “Let’s go.”
Rhea doesn’t argue, simply falls into step with me as we race through the tunnels faster than before. As we turn another corner, a bright green light up ahead catches me by surprise and my gut tells me we’re close. Very fucking close.
We continue to move quickly, even though our steps do slow, and as I round the corner I gape at what greets us. Green fire burns and flickers in a circle, a stone statue guarded in the middle, only… it’s not just a statue, the person’s head isn’t stone.
“You can’t kill me.” Her voice is threatening, mocking, and disgruntled as the stoney eyes slowly rise to mine. “I placed that marking on your arm. You’re the target, not the other way around,” she adds, confirming that this crazy bitch is Styx.
My arm itches at the mention of the mark, but I force myself to keep my face neutral as I shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have a mark.”
Her bright green eyes widen as she tilts her head to the side, her jet-black hair bouncing with the move as she twists her lips in disgust. “Don’t try me, girl. That mark will remain until you're dead.”
I edge closer into the room, which is the exact same coloring as outside, and Rhea is right behind me with every step I take. Shaking my head, I look up at Styx with an innocent smile.
“I already died and, with the help of my friends and family, here I stand.” The words bounce around us, the confidence noticeable to even my own ears as I flash her my bare wrist, before doing the other too, just to make sure.
“That’s impossible,” she grinds out through clenched teeth, which only makes me smile even more manically at her. I don’t know what’s come over me. I’m sure my magic is leading me here, but either way, I’m sure of myself and that’s all that matters. “Zellus promised me everything when he managed to free my head from Medusa’s curse, but he wasn’t feeding me fast enough. I took it upon myself to reach out to Noose for assistance. There’s no way in Hell you’re going to defeat me when I have such powerful men doing my bidding.” She snaps her teeth at me and Rhea, her eyes flicking red before quickly calming to green once more.
My gaze snaps to Rhea’s, her eyes shining with the same knowledge I know mine are as I turn my attention back to the bitch who thinks she’s going to use me to get out of the mess she’s in.
“You don’t have to wait for Zellus any longer,” Rhea states, folding her arms over her chest as she stares the goddess down. It’s so crazy that they’re both goddesses, yet they look and act so differently. It blows my mind a bit. “You can join him in spiritual Hell or wherever it is the fucking scum of the Earth goes to when they die.”
It takes a second for Styx to react to her words, before she shakes her head adamantly. “He’s not dead.”
“Oh, he is,” I interject, a pleased smile on my face as I take another step toward her. “Just like Noose.”
The horror that contorts her face is almost comical, but with one look at her I know what I need to do, and I need to do it now. There’s nothing she’s going to say that will aid me any further.
Digging into my pocket, I feel exactly what I’m looking for and pull it out of my pocket as I speak the last words she will ever hear. “Goodbye, Styx.”
I make sure she gets a good glimpse of the pendant in my hand as I utter her name, watching as she turns to stone with a scream ready to tear from her lips.
“Holy shit,” Rhea murmurs, gaping at the fully-stone statue that now stands before us.
I can’t just leave it like this though, not after she’s managed to cause so much pain while incapacitated. I expected more of a fight, after Noose and the fucking hounds, this feels like a total fucking let down.
