The courage Vatra had mustered was fading. She thought she would have been able to hold it together a little longer.

I've certainly faced a lot worse, she reminded herself. I've faced kings and armies. What's one god?

It was which god that sent her mind in a flurry. As she stomped down the alley behind the hangars, back straight and chin high, her stomach swung around in her belly like a boomerang. Vatra couldn't deny the effect Enyalius still had over her. No amount of sarcasm or quick wit could erase what he'd done.

The steady footfalls of other people behind her reassured her. She wasn't alone. Well, not really. Vatra peered over her shoulder, seeing the equally obscured faces of four other beings just as sharply tuned to where they were going.

All of them appeared menacing in their black masks and jumpsuits. Two were clearly non-human, with extra limbs and extreme proportions. One such figure, a lumbering creature with four arms, stood nearly two meters tall, and used its extra limbs for locomotion. At one time, the being was a Grethorian, from the planet Grethor; a swamp-like planet where his multiple limbs would have come in handy for moving about thick vines and vegetation.

Now, just like the other three beings around him, he was simply a remnant of what he once was. An old crewmate of the Agkistrodon that died long before Vatra even got her hands on the vessel. Spyro's ability to pull forth spirits was limited to those attached to something near him, and, thankfully, a few spirits had stuck around the Agkistrodon.

The spirits were quiet and never spoke. Though they could fight when needed, they were more like mindless drones with the single goal to protect Vatra. And, gratefully, Vatra accepted their presence. She knew even in all her stubbornness, she wouldn't have been able to face Enyalius alone.

Vatra quieted her wandering mind with a sharp inhale. She stopped in front of the hangar door labeled with a faint '13'.

"Hmm, isn't that an unlucky number?" she questioned, casting a look behind her as if any of the others would reply.

An expected silence was her answer.

"Boring crowd," Vatra muttered. She turned back to the door and waved a hand beside it, knowing if she waited any longer she wouldn't go through with meeting the people on the other side. If they had been patient enough to wait.

The door rushed open. A familiar painting looked down at her from the side of the vessel parked inside the hangar. Vatra frowned at the pinup girl, her expression seemingly mocking Vatra with her bright red lips parted into a small 'o' shape, and wide, blue eyes.

I hope they get blasted right on top of that image, Vatra thought.

Her gaze drifted around the hangar. It was empty save for the vessel. The faint electrical hums of the lights and inner workings of the room buzzed in her ears. Though, through the hum, she could faintly hear music from the ship.

Their boots thudded over the metal floor, tracing carefully over to the lowered boarding ramp. The music grew louder as Vatra approached. She craned her neck up into the vessel, a bright light piercing through the shielding of her mask. Her hand raised until her eyes adjusted.

The ship was empty. Or, at least, no one was near the boarding ramp.

"Hello?" Vatra called up into the vessel. She took a single step onto the ramp and leaned further in. "Excuse me!"

The other four behind her shuffled, grouping at the bottom of the ramp. They mimicked her behavior and tilted their heads to look into the ship.

"I don't think anyone's home," Vatra said, turning back to her companions. She pushed through the group and hopped back to the safety of the hangar floor.

A thump behind her made Vatra's heart sink.

"Oh, we're home. We just wanted to see how far you would go to get our attention," a masculine voice rang out from the ship.

Turning, Vatra saw the lights of the vessel's interior had dimmed. Two figures stood at the top of the ramp. A woman and a man. The former she didn't recognize from afar, but right away she knew the man was Enyalius.

The two shapes descended the ramp toward Vatra and her crew.

Enyalius donned his hair in a style that hadn't changed in centuries. Loose curls of naturally sun-lightened brown bounced around his permanent smug expression. A defined jaw sported a faint five-o'clock shadow, which was a new look. He didn't look so childish with a little hair on his face.

The woman at his side, the closer she approached, appeared more and more familiar to Vatra. Her dark, brown eyes were bright and on high alert. She tucked a braid behind her ear; the intricate designs of the plaits along the sides of her head were donned with beads and leather strips. The woman had a small and angled face that made her look quite young, but she carried herself with the experience of someone much older.

Vatra couldn't quite place her finger on what made the stranger so familiar. She kept her mouth shut trying to find the memory in her mind.

"Have we stunned you into silence?" Enyalius joked, looking from Vatra to the rest of her companions gathered close behind her. His blue eyes flickered mischievously.

Vatra cleared her throat. "You sounded different when we spoke earlier," she said.

It was true she'd been half expecting someone else to emerge from the ship. Maybe then she wouldn't have felt so guilty about not recognizing Enyalius' voice over the communications.

I hope he doesn't recognize my voice, she thought. Though I'm sure he would have by now.

"Odd thing to say," Enyalius stated with a small smile. "I see your reputation of hiding your faces is still true. Should I be worried about not knowing who you are?"

"Let's cut to the chase. What's the job?" Vatra asked. She folded her arms and stepped back when Enyalius and the woman walked past them.

Moving closer to the center of the hangar, Enyalius turned back to face Vatra. "Your crew is the only one I would trust for a job like this. It's true I've taken over as captain of this group, but I've heard great stories about what the crew of the Agkistrodon has accomplished. Your anonymity is something I admire, too," Enyalius paused and looked to his friend before glancing back to Vatra. "Someone close to me has been taken. I need you and your crew to get him back for me, safely."

Vatra looked suspiciously back to Enyalius' ship. "Speaking of your crew, you don't seem so broken-hearted over the ship I took out on Doatis... and there only seems to be two of you left."

Enyalius dropped his smile, the corners of his mouth deepening. "I told my other ship not to fire on you back on Doatis. What happened to them was their own fault. When I took over... let's just say not many of the previous crew agreed. Many of them left. Between who was on that ship, and Revna here... well... there's a reason we're asking for outside help." He gestured over to his companion at the mention of her name.

Revna... The realization hit Vatra when he said who she was. Vatra had met her before on Earth, many centuries before. So, who is this girl? Obviously she is not a human... or an alien species. Definitely a string to tug at later on.

"All right, I'll bite," Vatra said. "Who is this person you want us to retrieve, and who has taken him?"

A pause too long for comfort followed. It was like Enyalius was hesitant to even answer. Was he suspicious of her? He was certainly eyeing her over enough to be considering something.

"My father," Enyalius replied simply.

Vatra's stomach nearly fell out of her abdomen right then and there. The room started to spin around her. One god of war was bad, but two? And Ares?

"Oh?" Vatra croaked out. Her voice hit a pitch that sounded like a boy going through puberty for the first time. She coughed once. "Oh, really? H-how awful. And who took him?" She wasn't winning any acting awards, but all she could focus on was staying on her own two feet.

Revna reached into the chest pocket of her dark grey jumpsuit and handed a ripped off patch to Vatra. "We don't know their names," Revna said softly. "We managed to get this."

Taking the patch, Vatra let her vision focus on the image. Two swords clashed behind an image of the planet Earth. She felt her mouth go dry. It wasn't the image that brought back familiarity, but the idea that there was obviously some kind of whacko Earth group capable of kidnapping a blood-thirsty war god was terrifying.

"Um, this could be anything." Vatra peeled her eyes from the patch.

What are you getting yourself into? Tell him you can't do it already! That was the whole point of this meeting.

"It's a lead," Enyalius stated. "We can pay your crew a lot of credits for this job."

"What if I just get you the information of where they have him, and you guys get him back?" Vatra asked. She knew all too well what Enyalius' capabilities were.

A wide-eyed look crossed Enyalius' face. He gave a glance to Revna that made Vatra quite curious. It was almost as if he was scared at the very idea of a fight.

"There's only two of us," Enyalius replied hastily. "No way. Your crew has to find out where they are, and then retrieve my father for me."

Vatra looked down at the patch thoughtfully. This wasn't the same Enyalius she'd left on Earth. He walked and talked and looked the same, but there was something different about him. A part of him was missing. She wasn't sure if it was because his father was taken, or if there was a bigger picture.

Oh, my curiosity is going to get me killed one day, Vatra cursed to herself. Well, killed again.

"I-" Vatra started, but she was cut off when an alarm started to sound loudly.

The door to the hanger slid open, and Hisato and Spyro appeared. Hisato, most likely for the sake of avoiding recognition, had donned a mask. Vatra only recognized him by his flight suit. The two of them approached the group hastily.

"Sorry to interrupt," Hisato started, "but it looks like a half dozen ships have broken the atmosphere. They don't look so friendly, and they're jamming all devices and comms." He pointed down to Vatra's watch.

Lifting her watch, Vatra saw the jamming signal displaying on the surface screen. The symbol flashing was Earth with two swords behind it.

--

A/N: Alright, a little more details, background, etc. I hope things aren't confusing and easy enough to understand! I'm interested to know what you guys think!

What do you think this group is? Do you think Enyalius can be trusted at all?