Wrath (Hathor VS Hades)

[H A D E S - Council]

The Graeae's call rocked the realm and jolted Hades from the rare state of rest Persephone had at last gotten him into as he tumbled out of bed. "An Eternal is alive!" the three said in unison and the twitch of anger that burst into Hades's silent expression made them cower.  "Why could this not wait until morning?" His furious voice boomed around the room while he tried to keep a calm composer. Hades as of late had been trying to exercise self-control since becoming the head Eternal after the war and getting his wife back. Okay, let us be honest the real reason for his new wants to stay calm was what his wife wanted of him... He licked his lips as he swallowed his rage "show me." His voice vibrated before he blew the smoke, that covered the floor of this room, away to reveal the water beneath. He forwarded his brow at the sight before him from the Fae to the Templars this Eternal knew no bounds and had no restraint. 

I crossed my arms over my chest an air of excitement thumping into my heart and coursing through my veins; I have not fought in ions... Well, a serious and good fight that was. "Who is she?" I questioned with a smirk that could be heard in my words and the Phorcides smiled. The field of Reeds, the Duat, Ra, it was all new to me to an extent and this... Hathor would be the first of her realm to live again. "Hmm" I huffed out intrigued as to why and how she avoided Tartarus and kept her memory and powers. A question I would ask her myself right now as I kissed my wife goodbye and teleported close by. 

Hades was still trying to understand what was going on here, why did she attack the Fae they harmed no one and the world needed them to keep the forest alive. Did she wish to destroy the whole Earth? Why attack the Templars "Huh" now that he found interesting as many usually avoid the occultic group regardless of what they were but she seemed to want to destroy them just as much as she seemed to want to destroy the Fae. Hades clicked his tongue as he rubbed his chin watching from the shadows as Hathor unleashed herself upon the Templars. 

I enjoyed their screams of fear and horror they deserved this in my opinion and the river Styx could use the extra souls. Hathor was relentless however and if I let her continue in this manner she would single-handedly destroy the world so I huffed to set out to stop her but apparently, that was a vital mistake because even from all these miles away she heard me. Which I did not see as a threat or problem until an entire chariot, charioteer, and the shield bearer with them all came flying right at my head. I dodged in time just for the chariot to shatter against a tree somewhere behind me and the two men to immediately die on impact and I am sorry but did she throw the horses too? I do not have time to look because she came flying right at me next. 

[Hathor]

They'd bound her for the last time. If they only knew that their key to winning would backfire and be the thing to hunt and haunt them for the rest of their lives. Even Hathor didn't know that yet. 

At this very second, as the Templar army began to crumble against the fortitude of Thistlemoon Forest, she could feel their control on her fade. And so she began to wonder.

Would her life fade too?

Was the fact that she was living a hundred per cent contingent on the survival of the Templars?

Would she keep her powers if she kept her life? 

Who would rule her? Hathor? Or Sekhmet? 

All these questions and more turned over in her head. But she wasted no time just standing around and waiting for the answers to come. A quick snap and the fog in her mind cleared. The driving force that was making her attack the Fae no longer had the wheel. And so she came crashing face to face with the blood on her hands. She merely had a second to process and pause before joining the fight again but now on the side of the Fae. Quickly heading the fight as she ripped through the Templars like a shark in the water. 

Woo to anyone who got in her way. Whether good or bad. She didn't care. The blinders of her rage were thick and the original incarnation of Sekhmet had come back out to play. The trees of Thistlemoon had ended long ago but she was still going after them and she wouldn't stop. Not even death itself would stop her from destroying the Templars. She would decimate them. All of them and everything they stood for. She didn't even care who got in her way to try and stop her. 

She had no one. 

Everyone she loved was long gone. 

The hairs on her back rose and she immediately knew she was no longer the only Eternal around. She stopped. Unfortunately, she knew she wouldn't end the Templar order today so what difference would the fee she let get away make? No difference to her really. To others? Currently, she didn't care. But why pause at all? The only Eternals she knew were her family but she knew their Aura like it was her own. Whoever this was wasn't one of them. Which made sense since they were all dead. 

Dead like all the others like them. 

Which left very few options as to who this could be lurking in the shadows. She glanced over her shoulder. She never met any Eternal of a different culture. Only heard their story and name after they'd died during the Timeless war. But two faces did make their way around Aaru and Duat. With the story that they were the spearheads of the war. They were to blame. The downfall of her family came shortly after this news. 

Sekhmet had only caught a glimpse of the shadowed one. But that was enough. Hurling the nearest thing to her last him. Before hurtling at him next. She would kill whichever of the two gods he was. Then be on her way to the Templars once more. She was simple minded goddess when Sekhmet took control. And had yet to meet her match. 

[H A D E S - Council]

Fighting here would be catastrophic the earth realm was not meant to handle the power of two Ancient Gods going toe to tow with each other. Was there even a place that could handle that sort of battle? Hades quickly tried to figure it out as she came barreling toward him and he could not think fast enough because there was no such place. Not at least to his knowledge and with the chaotic state the war left all the realms in he did not want to risk bringing her somewhere and their inevitable fight making it worse. Hades cracked his knuckles and cursed beneath his breath when he realised he would have to pick a spot and play janitor later as she came into arms reach and he knew they could not by any means in the earth realm. 

I braced myself for impact and as she clashed with me I had my shadows swallow us whole. I knew not where they would take us as I just open any realm quickly just to avoid fighting in this forest. The both of us flew back as we arrived in Olympus and I tossed her as my back bounced off the ground; I do not think I will ever grow used to how empty the heavens were now. The silence engulfed you like a snake slowly swallowing its prey whole. Leaving you in a weird cereal state of being that sat on my shoulders and glaringly reminded me this emptiness was all my fault. I was not sure how much time had passed since we arrived but it had to only be a few seconds. 

His focus drew back to her as he studied her closely and took in how out of sorts and even off she appeared and it went beyond having just travelled here with in the manner they had. When the war first ended Hades made it his personal goal to learn about every God and Goddess he held in Tartarus so when they broke out, or escaped or even paid their due time and he realised he would know enough about them to help rear them in the right direction. However, he knew not this goddess, the most he could get from her was she must be some goddess of Death or war as the aura vibrating off of her was similar to his own. He stayed still and lay in wait for her attack figuring it was better to access her than just wildly fight. If he could learn her strength and abilities, maybe even what her affinity was he could possibly help her. 

[Hathor]

With the blinders Sekhmet wore all she saw was him. Snarling as she charged. There were no brakes. No off button. No way to calm her down. That died with Ra. So unless someone were willing to venture into the belly of the beast. And bring Ra or the red potion out of Tartarus, another way of reverting back to Hathor would need to be found. When the Templars woke her they didn't know the full extent of what they were doing. Naive and arrogant as they come. Swearing to God they were here to do His work. Then turning around and doing very dark blood magic to raise Sekhmet from the dead all in one breath. 

Maybe it was their ignorance that granted her her eventual freedom?

Or maybe it was their foolish decision to tie her to one person? 

Now the only war left was the one within herself. A desperate battle much harder than any she would ever have. 

She wasn't sure what to expect as she closed in on Hades. Most people ran. A typical response. A reasonable one. But Hades only seemed to bolster the closer she got. She narrowed her gaze at him. She was unhinged and chaotic. But what most did not expect was that even in this state she was calculative and clever. She saw the shadows open behind her target. Answering her question. 

Which god was this? 

And though she still charged right into him. She also braced herself for whatever would happen next. As they flew through the darkness together and right into the light she managed to push off him just in time as he tossed her. Skidding across the silk cloud like floors and halting in time to see him bounce off the same floor. Olympus was nothing and yet somehow the same as The Field of Reeds. And she found it curious that he would bring her here of all places. 

"Oh, you're studying me. Cute"

She sneered from ear to ear. A wicked smile. She was unpredictable. Though not unbeatable. And since it'd been ages since she fought another Eternal she knew she'd have to be smart. 

So the mind game would begin. 

[H A D E S - Council]

As unpredictable as he had imagined and it made him regret he could not remember her. Before their encounter here had you asked him how many eternal's Tarturuas held and who each one was he would have sworn in his answer as final without a second look. Granted he did not pride himself on that knowledge but rather made it his responsibility to know. So why... Why did he not know her? He wondered if the Eternals locked away shared ideal chatter with each other and if she ever crossed their lips. A tangent of thoughts sprouted from that one idea and he bitterly resented the feeling they all gave him. Each thought that bubbled and popped into his mind was a blatant reminder that he was the lone one and even if things were different and the Eternals all roamed free and integrated with one another he likely still would not hear the word of this goddess or anything for that matter because the hushed whispers of her would all turn to silence once he came around. 

Did the other gods and goddesses of death equivalent to my own title experience the same thing I wonder? Did she? Her cunning words had left a dent in my armour but they were not enough to entirely shake me. "So you have some sense then I see." I sarcastically remark to test and see just how in control of herself she was. I do not move; I expect she would mirror me if I did anyway and instead I wait. What did she want from me by revealing she had the wherewithal to speak? I hum to myself realizing what she had done, although it was quite simple was very clever. She was making me question my initial assessment and instincts about her.

 Hades rolled his lips together realizing she spoke but based on the aggressive vibe radiating off of her she did not want to have a full-fledged conversation. Releasing an audible sigh he ran his hand through his hair as he looked around the vacant Olympus. The nymphs which helped him run this place must have scattered the moment they came crashing which of course was smart as they could easily get hurt or die if they got in the way. "You just want to fight." He said matter of factly as he got into his fighting stance. "So cut the small talk and let us get this over with." He huffed out knowing his wife would kill him if he was late.

[Hathor]

He was staring. Which meant he was thinking. Which meant he was smart. A wicked cackle bubbles out of her slowly at that revelation. "Oh." She was enjoying this far more than she should be "so there's a brain under all that brute." She cocked her head to the side and her laughter and cruel grin vanished. Did he truly want to fight? Or was it that he thought that was what she wanted? "You don't know what I want." Her words slithered sharply. And as she studied him her eyes widened and she laughed. 

She laughed so hard that she bent over and clutched her stomach. "You don't even know who I am!" She had realised. It's why he wasn't attacking. Why he stared. Why he tried to lure her to make the first move. She found that hysterical. "Good!" She vanished. Or so it seemed and everything went silent.  The truth of the matter was that she was moving so fast you couldn't see her. Unless you already knew about this skill prior. But since he knew nothing. She was at the advantage. 

Suddenly, she was on his back. Wrapping her legs around his torso. One arm around his neck and the other his head. "Poor dark lord. Foolishly revealing who you are to me." She flipped backwards and despite the size, difference managed to flip him over and into a suplex. Then she was gone once more. She appeared before him. At a distance. "When you and your brothers started this war. Did you even consider us? Those from cultures outside your own?" She didn't want an answer she just wanted to say it. Get into his head and beat him down, mentally as she beat him up physically. 

"Stay down dark lord."

"You don't want to fight me."

"I. Promise!"

[H A D E S - Council]

She was moving too fast, was she running or teleporting and how would Hades begin to even tell if everything was faster than he could process it? Before he knew she was around him, he was flipping and then hitting the ground with a harsh thud. Thank goodness that all the gods were dead because none of them would let him live that down if they had seen it. He barely scraped himself off the marble stone floor before she began to speak, to be honest, he was out of practice with fighting since the war and he had no real match or challenge to spar with. He also would have tried to talk this out with her instead of fighting had it not been for the fact that she attacked him first. He did not stay down; something was off about this goddess her aura was not like any other eternal's and he wondered if she had a trigger. 

There was something in the way she moved and spoke that seemed possessed. Like what she was doing was supposed to be natural but was not any longer while still trying to be. The off way in which her body clicks makes it seem as though she is first fighting herself and then me. Souls often do this when trying to hold on to their lifeless bodies but she certainly was not dead... Not entirely. She smelled of death in both ways one could, she was a bringer of death but at some point, she had experienced it. Yet this was not what made her so off as she seemed to be resurrected long enough for death to become her. Just then I was struck with a thought, but I did well to hide it from my face as I would not want my opponent to realize I had a plan and I did not want to get my hopes up that it would even work.

"You are right." he shrugs, "I do not want to fight you but you... Ha you seem to want to fight everyone. So I was not given much choice." he shrugged again before summoning my bident and quickly casting a blanket of darkness over the area, then hurling my scepter at her to pin her to the nearest wall. I knew it would not stop her and I could not win unless I knew her or of her or anything about her that could help me. It would slow her down though just enough to speak with the Greae and get my plan in order.