SWNOVELS Chapter 20: Unnatural
Willa opened her eyes and saw Caitlyn nearby, cradling her arm. She tried to stand directly up and winced in pain.
"Are you all right Caitlin? she asked, moving gingerly over to her.
"No," she replied, on the verge of tears. "My arm hurts."
Willa softly lifted Caitlyn's arm and noticed she had been burned by the light. She looked back towards where the light was and a tall man who radiated a golden light, though it was nowhere near as bright as his entrance. His eyes were two balls of flame, and wisps of smoke spewed from his nose.
"Apollo." Willa said quietly. Somehow, he still heard her. He stopped staring at the oracle, who was still stuck in place because of the vines, and turned toward Willa.
"You did this." said Apollo, marching towards them.
"Wait, no! Apollo this isn't not my fault!" She held up her hands in protest, but Apollo wasn't looking at her. He bent down towards Caitlyn and held out his hand. Caitlyn reached out and he slowly grabbed her hand and looked at the bracelets on her wrist. He put his hands over the bracelets and broke them in half.
"Hey!" Caitlyn protested and jerked away, snatching the pieces back. The burns on her arm were completely gone, but she was too angry to notice. "Aphrodite gave me these, jerk!" Apollo ignored her insult and looked back. The vines were beginning to disappear. Apollo disappeared in a small burst of light and reappeared at the oracle's side, catching her before she could fall. The freed nature spirits gathered around him and bowed, each murmuring a silent prayer.
"Willa," Apollo called out, not facing her. "Where is the creature that did this?"
"You mean me?" a raspy voice growled from the darkness.
Roman emerged with his clothes still smoking and his face badly burned by Apollo's light. The stake was still in his chest as he limped towards Apollo. his eyes flickered gold instead of red. His breathing was haggard as he tried to pull the stake out of his chest, and he kept his eyes trained on Apollo as he did it.
"I assume you're the god of sunshine." Roman said after fully pulling out the stake, revealing a massive whole and golden blood instead of red.
"Don't mock me demon. What has cursed you? What gave you these abilities?" Apollo watched him intently, expecting an answer. Roman's was transfixed on the golden ichor oozing out of his chest as the wound began to heal. He cupped his hand and gathered some of the blood in his palm. Drinking it, his eyes went black and his stomach began to growl.
"It's similar." Roman's voice was reduced to a whisper. "But it's different. It's different. It's different. It's not right. It's not enough. IT'S NOT ENOUGH! IT'S NOT PURE!" Roman glared at Apollo and started inching closer, smiling.
"But yours is."
Apollo set his hands ablaze.
"Try me demon, and you'll regret it."
Lightning struck the sky and everyone could feel the electricity in the air. Thunder boomed so loudly Willa could feel it in her chest. Behind Apollo, five people walked forward together. With Zeus in front, Ares, Hermes, Aphrodite and Artemis flanked him on both sides. Ares, for some reason, had a smile on his face, while the others looked mildly annoyed. Aphrodite broke rank and walked over to Caitlyn and Willa. Caitlyn immediately held out the broken bracelets.
"Look what that fire guy did!" said Caitlyn, enraged. Aphrodite grabbed them and put her finger up to her lips.
"Shhh." she whispered. "You two need to leave."
"But I can't just-" Willa started.
"You can, and you will. Things aren't going to end the way you think they are. trust me on this." Aphrodite gave Willa a reassuring smile and rubbed her hands together, magically repairing Caitlyn's golden bracelets.
"Leave it to me, Apollo." Zeus commanded.
Roman lunged at Apollo but Zeus sent a blast of lightning at his feet, keeping him at bay. Roman directed his attention towards Zeus and hissed.
"What do you think it is?" Artemis inquired.
"At first glance, you'd guess it was a vampire." replied Apollo.
"Well obviously. But have you ever met a vampire that bleeds like that? Or a lamia? There's something unnatural about this."
Zeus raised his hand to silence them.
"I will handle this. All of you will remain here until I am done."
Everyone looked at him.
"What are you going to-"
Apollo was interrupted as Zeus picked up a sharp rock and cut his wrist, letting the golden ichor drip down into the dirt. Roman hissed louder and dashed towards Zeus, who in turn disappeared in a blast of lightning. Another bolt of lightning struck the palace at the top of the Olympus, and Roman followed the scent.
"I CAN STILL SMELL YOU!" he shouted. "YOU WON'T ESCAPE ME!"
Roman, had made it halfway to the palace with his super speed when something grabbed his head, stopping him so abruptly his neck should've snapped. Zeus, now several feet taller, lifted him off the ground.
"Your ignorance is baffling." Zeus commented, holding Roman away from his own body. "I'd never run from a creature like you."
Zeus arched his arm back, growing larger by the second. He swung hard and Roman went flying through the air like a fastball, directly towards the palace. Smacking a pillar with a loud thunk, his body began to fall before Zeus, in his full form, caught him in the palm of his hand. He looked down the massive mountain of Olympus and saw the other gods in their tiny mortal forms before walking past the pillars into the palace.