Freedom finds me in a roar of bubbles and water; an instant sensation of weightlessness follows. I held my breath until my lungs burned and as I began to rise to the surface, I felt Cain's magic around me, a gentle tug on my body to draw me back in, only instead I moved further away.

I'm sorry.

I wanted freedom and calm away from the chaos. We all gasped as we rose to the surface, yet it was far from calm as even the ocean seemed against us now. Maiden me squeaked as a wave crashed over her, and Crone grabbed my arm as she bobbed awkwardly on the unsettled surface. I pushed her away, moving my hair out of my eyes and spinning around only to be greeted by a coming storm on the horizon.

"Should we go back?" She called nervously, Maiden instantly agreeing as she resurfaced.

"Maybe it wasn't our greatest idea, after all."

I licked the salt water off my lips, allowing myself to be pushed around the sea and become lost underneath the waves to avoid their paranoia and stares. The darkness of the deep called, yet beyond the whooshing pulse of the ocean I heard beeps, high pitched and constant, only broken by sobbing and then Cain again.

"You have to stay with me, Elle."

The current suddenly changed; shadows moved within the depths and the darkness took over. I was alone, my companions deserting me as I struggled to work out which way was up or down. Breaking the surface, my lungs burned as I took in air and surprisingly, I felt completely at ease. The calmer I became, the wilder the ocean seemed to turn. I stayed within it, completely unbothered. Maiden was right, I needed this. I wanted it. All the baths in the world weren't going to ease whatever bothered me. I needed space. I needed the sea. As I forced the waves back I floated, my mind visiting another version of myself that had found the water to be just as healing as the sun that dried my skin as we laid on the sand.

Looking for more memories beyond the beach became harder, the future glimpses I'd had before no longer found. The more I tried to remember the details, the less I could see with our friends fading away from beside the fire. Distracted, the water was merciless as it crashed over me, pushing down roughly as I was left at its mercy. Any attempt at continuing to relax faded like my visions and panic flooded my system, and not because of the drowning threat.

Why couldn't I see us all on the beach? Glimpses of that moment, the fire, the kids, the laughter came and went, broken fragments that floated out of reach.

"Something has changed." Crone Me called out as I broke the surface. Maiden Me seemed to help keep me above water as the storm moved closer and the ocean turned cold.

I instantly shivered.

"Even I know when the party's over," She sighed, as we grouped.

"What did I do?" I whispered.

I moved quickly, skipping the swim and heading back yet I didn't make it all the way. Cain's lingering power cocooned me, a welcomed hint of comfort I'd never pull away from again yet the male shape distorted by the water made me wonder if I should be. Maiden grabbed my ankle to prevent me from going closer.

"That's not Cain." She spoke clearly, as if being underwater wasn't a problem.

Again, her voice matched my thoughts with suspicion I didn't know I had. "Poseidon?"

Her words matched my thoughts as the white hair that floated in front of my face was from the Crone as she shook her head agreeing with us. I felt their fear as if it was my own; maybe it was. We'd been seen, there was no denying it and I knew Cain wasn't back yet. I needed air, and pushing down the new wave of anxiety that followed, I kept going.

The duo vanished as I moved closer despite every instinct I had was telling me to run. He is a friend. An ally. He'd helped Hades get to Tartarus and had even just brought us Hecate's gift. Cain trusted him. Hades did. There was nothing to fear here, and if there was it wouldn't be for long.

Poseidon said nothing as I stepped inside, his hair and clothes damp yet there was no other sign of how he'd come in or how long he'd been there. How long have I been gone?

I glanced around the room cautiously, the mess we'd left the room in cleaned and now new pomegranates were on the bed, untouched with the necklace I vaguely remember taking off spread over them. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the white silhouette of Crone, tucked behind the bathroom door as she not so subtly peaks out. Maine pushes her back, striking a pose and tugging on the edge of her jacket before pointing at me.

Poseidon steps away from the window, winning back my attention as he glances towards the door warily. Did he see them? Sense them?

"Cain will be back any minute." I break the silence, the puddle of water I left behind me disappearing as I'm back to being less of a wet mess and only mentally one. "What's up?"

I slip on the necklace, and as my hand drops down I feel the hard edge of the dagger now at my waist before subtly tightening my ponytail as if he hadn't come by at the worst possible time and there was nothing going on beyond what he already knew.

Fake it until you make it, Elise.

If I could keep my shit together for the next five or so minutes, Cain would have to be back. He promised he'd gone half an hour less and while I had no sense of time at all right now, I knew he would be coming. I link my pinkies together and tug.

"Wanna pinky promise?"

"If that's what it'll take."

I broke the promise. Would he?

"Hecate requested I deliver the fruit." He said slowly, his voice rough and raw. My powers flared on instinct as I already prepared to protect myself. "And, I was told to do one other task to ensure the safety and wellbeing of my kingdom, and that of my brother, Hades also."

"She loves a riddle, that one. Sure you understood what she may have been talking about?" I question calmly. "She isn't known for her sanity."

Guess we had that in common.

"I have done as she very clearly asked. I will do what has to be done and after, perhaps you may understand and forgive me. She did say you would."

I laugh, shaking my head as I put a hand over Blueberry. "Seriously?"

"I am very serious, Empress." His voice breaks, and he swallows with effort.

All of him is tense, and if he could be anywhere else, I didn't doubt he would be. Whatever this is, he believes in it enough to actually attempt to go through with it. The bathroom door catches my attention, and a second later Maiden pokes her head out enough to make the motion of cutting her throat, as her whisper is in my ear.

"Bad idea. Don't trust him."

I roll my eyes, and flick her away back into hiding which has Poseidon turning to look. It's easy to sense he's becoming even more nervous than he was when I got here. His brow is creased with concern, bearing some resemblance to Hades now as he looks between me and the bathroom.

"What was that?" He asks slowly, already moving towards the bathroom.

"What was what?" I smile, making him hesitate yet he pushes the door open with force; a hint of his power vibrating through the room. "So what did Hecate request? If it was anything around my firstborn well, I'll make your death fast as a parting gift."

"Who else is here?"

"Just me." I shrug.

Poseidon and I are going to have trust issues if he keeps this up; and instead he goes back into the bathroom before re-emerging even more frustrated than before. "I sense something. Someone. Who is hiding?"

"Just me." I repeat, watching my alter egos dance around him. "Not really hiding but it doesn't matter. I'm tired. What do you want or should I just end this now and ask for forgiveness later?"

Maiden has the end of a gun pressing into his forehead while Crone has the tip of her blade at the nape of his neck.

"They always underestimate me." Maiden growls.

"They never learn." Crone answers.

I nod in agreement, inching closer. It takes him a moment to realise he's trapped. Though he can't see them, he feels their presence, feels us. Panic flickers across his face, followed by a brief struggle, and then surrender. Almost. His power still presses against mine, but he doesn't flinch as our eyes meet.

"I'll count to five, so make it quick," I warn. "One."

"You need to be at your best. She sent the fruit," he says calmly, though sweat beads on his forehead. Outside, the water pounds relentlessly, swirling against the magical barrier holding it at bay.

"Two."

"I had to get Cain away, make sure he is with Hades. No one else can break through to him like you, but Hades might if he can work it out fast enough."

"Three."

"You don't understand—the timing has to be perfect." He pauses his struggle against me, against us, and sighs. "We're going to waste what-"

"Three and a half."

"We're going to miss our chance! This only works once, and it's the only way, the only way, that this time might end the vision differently."

"Fo—different how? Matt's vision?" Maiden rolls her eyes, lowering her arm.

"Don't be stupid. Don't we ever learn?" she scoffs, looking at Crone for an answer.

"Shut up. Which vision?" I demand.

"The one where you all die, and Uranus wins."

Poseidon doesn't smile or smirk; none of that smugness I've come to expect from others before they think they've won is there. His expression stays grim, heavy, as if the victory he's predicting feels more like a loss. "Hecate showed me, and then she made it clear what I had to do to give us a chance."

I glance between my clones, searching for a clue, a signal, anything, to guide me toward the right decision. Instead, they dissolve into nothingness. Whispers stir in the darkest corners of the room, slipping beneath my skin as I know I've felt them before. As Poseidon's hand rests on my shoulder, I feel the burden he carries shift onto me before he pulls me closer. He smells like the ocean, clean but earthy, like rain hanging heavy in the air before a storm. The atmosphere thickens, and when I close my eyes, two figures in red cloaks appear in my mind. Their presence settles over me, assessing. When they finally speak, my stomach drops, knowing exactly what they mean only this time, I know who they are.

"There have always been three."

"This was a mistake!" Penny cries beside me. "We shouldn't have left. Why do I ever listen to you?"

"Looking back, now that everything's gone completely fucking shit, Penny might've had a point," Maiden-Me mutters.

When I glance up, Poseidon's eyes are glistening with unshed tears. He pulls me into a hug, but whatever words he murmurs are lost as a voice cuts through from behind us.

"Impatient, isn't she?" Adala clicks her tongue in disapproval.

"The young ones always are," Nieve agrees softly.

Suddenly, all I see is Penny. Only, it's not just Penny. She's sitting with Raya on the floor of her living room, in the same spot I've sat with Olivia a hundred times before. But My Livvy is gone, and the child that's taken her place now smiles and laughs with Penny as they read a book I've never read to her. Raya fusses over the baby lying on the floor, and Keiran hovers behind the couch, watching them both with a quiet intensity that hides his fear.

"I hate that no one can tell us anything," Raya mutters, frustration lining her voice. "I've been packed for days. This waiting sucks."

"I know." Penny smiles, but the worry in her eyes mirrors the pain I saw in Poseidon's. "Ailin just said to be ready. That she'll need us. So, we wait. Simple. I'm not making the same mistakes again."

Would I be making the same mistakes?

"What do you have to do Poseidon?" I ask, stepping back into the familiar presence of my alternative selves. "What did Hecate say?"

He looks around cautiously, as if he is expecting the shadows to come alive and destroy us both. When that doesn't happen, he shakes his head.

"Nothing."

"What?"

"I don't know what to do!" His voice breaks as he screams, stepping forward I instantly shield myself and while I could feel the heaviness of his orders he must be feeling my own insanity right back. "I've never, I shouldn't have to do any of this! It isn't fair."

Blueberry moves, and I move to feel him under my palm. Crones boney fingers cover mine, and the chipped black nail-polish of the Maiden joins us.

"How many times have we asked the same question?" I whisper.

"It's not fair. Like it really isn't and what does ocean man even have to complain about? He hasn't had to survive anything like what we have!" Maiden groans.

"Nothing is ever fair." Crone soothes. "But we do it anyway, because that is just what we do."

"It's not fair and someone always has to lose." I look at both of them. "Maybe we aren't always supposed to survive."

Matt's vision lingers in the edges of my vision.

"Maybe we are?" She says back wondering, looking at Poseidon who remains frozen in time as we exist in our own little world.

Crone reaches into her pocket, and the golden thread I've witnessed so many times before now glimmers in her hand. Maiden stands beside her, holding the scissors I once saw in the hands of Adala and Nieve. I know their purpose. No words or explanation is needed as I'm passed the end of the seemingly eternal thread, and the scent of the sea, the same as on Poseidon's skin, fills my senses. Without effort, I'm drawn into the memories woven within it. His life unfolds before me; battles he endured, darkness he overcame, and the profound love he carried for his people, his realm, and his bonded one. Interesting. Hades, Cain, and Zeus drift through these fragments like passing ghosts, along with the fleeting faces of those who came and went along the way.

It wasn't fair.

He didn't ask for this.

None of us ever have.

"No." I drop the thread, stopping Maiden before she could take the cut to end his life. "No."

Poseidon returns to his animated self, the moment passed with him remaining unaware he had just come to death, while I do what I always do only whether that means making another mistake or surviving I don't know yet. It was why I was chosen to be the Empress. It was why I was cursed to be the God Killer. It's why I was never like the other Hunters.

"You know what to do." I tell him firmly, yet feel myself softening as I say the rest. "And Poseidon, she was right. I do forgive you, and one day, Cain will as well."

Disbelief alters to relief before the realisation of what I had just said sinks in. I will take the burden from him, I will make the choice others can't. It is why I went from being insulted as a little girl, a mortal playing dress ups and carrying another failure in Gaia's line to having her bow to my demands and why we will defeat Uranus.

"Thank you." He drops to a knee before me, head bowed. "Empress."

Cain had once said Tartarus would tell new tales of us that would haunt our enemies trapped down there. That was true, and once we ended it all, new fairytales would be all that remained within the heavens, hells and all the realms that were in between.

Would they have a happy ending?

Was I the villain or a hero - would it matter?

They only had to know the Empress did what no one else could.

I readied myself for whatever was next; my counterparts disappearing when I needed them the most only to remember they didn't actually exist.

"Thank me once it's over." I look at him expectantly. "So, what now?"

He doesn't answer, and I'm left shielding my eyes as I'm suddenly surrounded by brightness, the sunlight overwhelming for a second after the dimly lit room. The wind slices into me, cold and sharp, and I spin around at the sound of battle behind me.

I hook my pinkies together and give a small tug.

"Wanna pinky promise?"

"If that's what it'll take."

I broke the promise. Again.

"Can I just be the first to point out that this was a terrible idea." Maiden sighs as my stomach sinks.

"We're here." Crone says what I'm thinking.

"It's the wrong place." I whisper, stepping closer to the field that continues to haunt me. "We need move and-"

I could see it all from here; the Furies' final attempt at a trap, our army gathering to come to our aid. The remnants of the implosion would forever scar this land and now, the battle that followed was our final stand. The last of Uranus loyalists fought mine as I knew, even without seeing it now that my plan to have Uranus go to the battlefield would have worked. The gates to Tartarus would have been reopened and we would have had the upper hand we'd never find here. Their trap was bigger than us, and it kept the control in his hands.

Hide in plain sight.

My vision blurred as sharp, direct pain raced across my stomach. Nieve's voice echoed in my mind, whispering her plan to Tisiphone—a glimpse of clarity within the chaos, the field a contingency if the Furies failed. Nieve had known to stay clear of the battlefield, yet I'd managed to bring her there. It would never have worked if she'd managed to stay out of the madness. She knew how to save herself, yet still failed as she became lost to her ego and rage.

Could I manage to do the same with Uranus?

"She served her purpose, between bouts of complete uselessness," a voice murmured from behind, as the world around me froze.

"Uhoh." Maiden vanished and so did Crone.

I take it all in with one big breath, even the space where Matt stood within the vision despite this being the reality. Ignoring Uranus, I manage to climb down the rocks and step foot onto the silent field. It feels surreal to be here, a place I had been hundreds of times before yet never actually lived within. Arrows were suspended in time, frozen in the air as if carefully placed decorations. The roars of Circe's lions were lost in the wind as screams from the Valkyrie on the ground, fighting until their last breath had yet to be released.

I see Apollo and Artemis, the light forming within his hands too bright to look at as she poised to shoot another arrow. Hermes is half gone, moving between portals. Kara has her sword buried into something winged that reminds me of a zombie Valkyrie with Ares and Athena are also in the middle of a fight, back to back, in their element. I look beyond this fight to where Hades minions are charging this way and find him standing with Cain.

"Nothing that ever happens here will be enough for you to win the war."

The vision may change but the outcome would be the same and standing beside Deimos, I want to unfreeze my friend and see what he might have to say about everything. Just a moment together.

I take it all in with one deep breath, even the empty space where Matt stood in the vision despite this being reality. Ignoring Uranus, I climb down the rocks and step onto the silent battlefield. He lets me, and I know he's watching. Assessing. It feels surreal to be here, a place I've seen hundreds of times before yet never truly lived within. Arrows hang frozen in the air, like carefully placed decorations. The roars of Circe's lions are lost in the wind, and the screams of Valkyries fighting to their last breath were suspended, waiting to be released.

I see Apollo and Artemis: light forms in his hands, too bright to look at, while she's poised to release another arrow. Hermes is half-faded, slipping between portals. Kara stands with her sword buried in a winged creature, possibly some kind of zombified Valkyrie, while Ares and Athena fight back-to-back, fully in their element. Beyond this, Hades's minions charge forward, and I catch sight of him standing beside Cain. Exactly where they should be.

"Nothing that ever happens here will be enough for you to win the war," I whisper Matt's words to the frozen battlefield around me.

The vision may change, but the outcome remains the same. Standing beside Deimos now, I long to unfreeze my friend, to hear his voice, his wisdom, something to give us a moment together, and a chance to say goodbye.

"I know and I'll keep trying, Deimos," I promise, finally turning my gaze to Uranus.

In a blink, I'm back before him.

"Do you see it all now, Empress?" He taunts. "How long until your little, mortal, mind breaks from Nieves' final gift?"

I shrug. "Maybe I can do what the old witch couldn't."

"Perhaps." My wrist is by his mouth in seconds, and I can't move to pull away as his tongue traces the curves of the mark I was cursed with a lifetime ago. Disgust has bile burning its way up my throat as the heat of his mouth covers my skin. "This power likes you, I may have underestimated what letting you kill her would do. It likes you more than it ever liked her. Then again, maybe it's him it likes."

His eyes lower to my stomach and whatever hold he has over me is finally able to be shattered. I swing my free hand up, Apollo's dagger firmly in my hold and in a single motion, the blade goes in, just under his ribs. The shock in Uranus' eyes barely registers as he drops my wrist and I push upward with every ounce of strength I have. The blade carves through, tearing past flesh and bone, and I only push harder as I feel the resistance of his body against the blade. Uranus opens his mouth, yet no words leave him as rage twists his features. For a second, I catch his gaze, enjoying the surprise I find before it disappears and I know his revenge is coming. Despite this, a dark satisfaction courses through me as the warmth of his blood covers my hand. I swiftly replace one weapon with another, my sword able to do more damage as it slams into him now with enough force to nearly knock him off balance

My power surrounds us, all of it, with Cain already in motion to be at my side but time isn't working as it should. He should have been here in seconds, the fight beside us should have resumed, and forcing Uranus down I need to be able to get him away to the main battlefield.

"We won't win if we stay here!" Crone's voice cuts through, stopping me from getting distracted.

"Kill him now!" Maiden urges.

"I know and I'm trying!" I answer.

My power coils tighter, leaving him with no way to redirect or embrace my frenzied attack. Whatever he is doing, is making him slip through my hold like sand, time and time again as I scream in frustration at not being able to force him to leave this place. We have to go, this isn't where we win.

The mess before me is just that, a mess. The frenzy that had taken over when I killed Nieve now looks as if it was only rated PG as with a final grunt of effort, Uranus is destroyed. I'm painted red, my clothes wet with his blood and I know this wasn't enough. His presence is still everywhere, beyond the way he has tainted the sand and coloured the rocks. I take a breath, and step back allowing my clothes to change, and my skin to be cleared of his touch.

"You need to kill him, not work out our rage issues." Maiden said after a few minutes of silence.

"Not much left to kill." Crone kicks his hand away, frowning in disgust.

I barely nod. "He isn't dead. It doesn't matter, all of this was for show."

And I took the bait, only wearing myself out in the process.

"Talking to yourself?" I don't miss the cruelty being promised in his tone as the mess materialises back into one very smug looking, definitely not dead, or even injured asshole.

"Well it's certainly more enjoyable than talking to you."

He grinned, well snarled at me. "Tell me, where are you so desperate to take us? Surely not Tartarus."

"I feel you're overdue for a visit." Let him think that.

"Foolish creature! The gates of Tartarus still tremble at the mere thought of my return after our last encounter. I keep waiting for you to prove yourself a worthy opponent, but all you deliver is disappointment." Uranus snarls.

"Ouch. My ego." I pout.

"If this is your final stand, I won't be wasting my time."

I sense Cain drawing closer, and a quick look around shows only that Uranus is still completely in control now. My last attack proved pointless, but how had he done that? Surely these blades would have had to have some impact. Is he faking it as well as I am right now?

"They have decided their own fates with this display of defiance. Let them all die now and I shall move on. You shall watch, and watch it all, as I move across this realm and the next. I will enjoy your suffering as you see exactly what it means to fail."

The wind increased, some fell, unable to control themselves due to the command he held over this space. I wish I knew more about how realms, portals, wards and all of that junk actually worked to even stand a chance of breaking it down. Cain knew this stuff, so I would leave that part to him and do what I do best.

"I just have one question," He glares but seems to be willing to listen. "Do you all read from the same bad speeches for bad guys handbook or something? I get you're old, but the whole, gonna enjoy your suffering blah blah, has been done. Like so done."

I barely finish before his attack comes at me. It's fast and direct, only I don't flinch, I don't move, and meeting his gaze now I want him to know that I'm not going to let that happen. The resistance I have against his power infuriates him, but again, this was not my first fight and it wasn't our first meeting either. It seems we both have learnt a thing or two, as the punch I send his way is dodged easily, and my blade is left hungry.

"Do you have a plan?" Crone asks distractedly, standing beside Uranus as she inspects a fingernail, while Maiden me leans against a large boulder near the cave entrance, taking a shot of what I think was tequila.

"Of course we don't." She answers, a burp following that makes her giggle. "Lets just fucking unleash our special brand of crazy on him and see what he thinks of that."

That actually isn't a bad plan.

My shoes are gone, and I feel the warmth of the rock beneath my feet as I steady myself, feeling the raw, feral energy of my power pulsing through my veins, stronger than ever. Uranus towers over me with that sickeningly smug look, the one that they all get when they think they have already won.

"It doesn't get old, does it?" Crone asks now beside me as I feel more grounded than I have for days, weeks even, despite the fact I am again left talking to myself. "Beating these fucking assholes who underestimate us."

"No, it doesn't." I agree, noticing the slight lift in Uranus brow as he studies me as closely as I am him. "You've gone quiet, trying to come up with some new material?"

Cain has found me within the earth. His powers not just coiling around and then up my feet but within as he slips between whatever space exists between the flesh and bone. I knew he'd find a way in. A hot rage at being kept apart comes over me, mine or his, or both - I'm not sure but that is what now rains down in bright bolts of lightning as I spread out around us. Uranus hovers, seeming unable to keep his feet on the ground while I only feel more grounded and earthed.

I throw rock, I take over the air and wind, I make him burn yet the sweet and tangy remnants of the pomegranate I'd eaten early now make my mouth feel dry and the next wave of Uranus attacks leaves a familiar ache through my body that I can also sense Cain trying to soothe as quickly as its hits.

I am so tired.

"Now who is quiet, little Empress." Uranus mocks and I waver; Hecate's fruit wasn't enough to give me the energy to get through this.

My body could only do so much right now and whatever was keeping back the reminders of this and my other less than ideal situation was also fading as the uncomfortable ache was becoming harder to ignore across my stomach. Oh to go and sink back beneath the waves or to curl up in bed, just for a minute...

I am so tired.

"You'll be fine. You always are. Now, this appears to have been a bad plan." Crone clucks her tongue with disapproval.

"Nothing that ever happens here will be enough for you to win the war."

"It wasn't even a plan." Maiden grunts, attempting to act as if she was here and actually helping. She holds her hands out, yet no power flows from her stance as our attack becomes a defence.

"We do need a plan." I mumble. "What would Zane do?"

Just thinking of Zane is instantly crushing. My heart aches as my chest tightens painfully around it, and this wasn't Uranus doing. I hadn't seen Zane out there and the vision of Hermes attempting to drag him away clouds my sight until a sharp slap stings across my cheek.

"No. We need a plan or something. An idea, A stroke of friggin genius even. Not a breakdown. Fucking focus!" Maiden screams at me now.

Focusing was a new task that was almost as exhausting as holding space with Uranus. Glimpses of past battles, mine and others, from the present and sections of the past that made me shiver with the enormity of the whole damn situation flooded my mind. I saw double, triple of Uranus and Maiden and Crone beside me shapeshifted between all the women that had been cursed to fall in the past.

"There have always been three." The haunting voice lingered just outside my consciousness.

"Shut up, Nieve!" I screamed.

And then I screamed again, longer, harder, deeper. I screamed until my throat was raw and my power erupted out of me as if each of the damn visions was a release switch. I screamed despite the burn in my lungs that ached for more air. I screamed to silence the beating of my heart that pounded within my ears. I screamed to feel, to keep hold of something that connected me to the now, to this moment as some tiny little section of my mind knew that if I let go completely I would be lost.

My tiny little mortal mind.

How long until I lost it?

Elise Bunting was never meant to exist and maybe she no longer did.

No. I was here.

I am here.

Everything stopped as I fell to my knees, cradling my stomach, it barely occurred to me we now stood upon rubble. My face was wet; tears or blood? I shook. My whole body seemed to be willing to suck in as much air as we could despite the way it cut and stung my sore throat.

I can't fake it now, Cain.

"Wanna pinky promise?"

"If that's what it'll take."

A hand appears, and I take it. I'm guided back to my feet as I am not the only one unable to hide now. Uranus is cut, bloodied and bruised. His face holds a similar weariness as what I felt inside yet as our eyes meet something sparks inside of me. Something that refuses to be silenced, or removed or extinguished. It's always been there, and the pity of whatever he must see in this victory ensures it doesn't just spark, but reignites.

It's a flame.

"Rise, and rise again, little Phoenix."

"You have to stay with me, Elle."

The whispers start again and the mist that they bring over my body and mind threatens to swallow me in a way that is so beyond Deimos power it makes his ability look like basic childs play. Voices become a roar, a rushing flood from centuries of being forgotten. Moments lost to time that now demanded to be remembered all at once. I couldn't bring it under control. The power I looked for when I needed it the most, blended within the memories of the collective.

The Aether.

Neverending.

Eternal.

Where did I start, where did it end?

"I want what you have. Submit to me and I will ease your pain, child. You can keep this vessel as it is. I want control-" Uranus begins but I don't hear him.

"You are out of control, Elise. Partying every damn night, skipping classes. Why are you laughing? Wait, are you drunk?" Huntington's high pitched accusation cut through the fog so I was sitting in front of her desk.

"I honestly don't know if I was ever sober?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose, mumbling under her breath about not being paid enough for any of this and questioning why she even cared.

"One day, I will not be here to clean up your messes. Do you ever think about that?"

"Oh now you're playing the old grandma card, not sure if you'll live to see another Christmas? I get enough guilt from my actual family." I scoff at her.

This seems to soften her. "I know. Elise, I am worried about you. Truly. I just, I don't know what to do with you. Expulsion will not be a punishment, at least not to you though I am sure your Father may have a different opinion."

"On that we can agree." I hiccup once, before vomiting all over the beige rug at my feet.

This time when I looked up, it was Uranus sitting at her desk. "This is where you keep drifting off to? How very disappointing."

Huntington.

Portia.

A memory is all that remains.

"Rise, and rise again, little Phoenix."

I'm still standing, but the fog has cleared and the flame burns as I grab onto the remnants of the vest Uranus had on. I pull him close and the force of my power colliding into him makes me lose my grip as he stumbles back unsuspecting. I keep going regardless. I grab onto my sanity while it's there as Maiden me would fight to keep the buzz from the alcohol she'd drown herself in to ease the pain of reality.

Reality is all I wanted now.

I am so tired.

Losing Huntington hurt more than anything my Maiden self could imagine back then and she agrees now, standing strong at my side as the Crone who would forever know more than either of us joined in. I needed their help, I needed to stay focused. I'd been on the edge of losing my mind for longer than I could remember and I couldn't fall now.

Underestimate me.

Uranus became frantic; his ego ruling as I sank into the visions he thought he'd won. Again. I had no mercy to offer and I knew he was hurting. I knew I had dug my power in deep. I felt his body, this scarred and broken vessel he'd created being further broken into pieces and as I tried to move us, again and again, to the battlefield and away from here, it would not happen. I clawed at my skin, seeking assistance from Tartarus's gift, a tool to aid me do what had to be done and felt the sudden release and shift as time returned.

As if reality had finally pressed play, the chaos surged back to life around us. Battle cries and screams tore through the air, mingling with the clang of swords and armour, the thunderous beat of wings from the sky, and the pounding rhythm of footsteps with more running into battle. Desperation, fear, and blood saturated every space, a deadly symphony that was the familiar sounds of war.

I never found Tartarus's gift. My powers were pushed away as again, we were not enough against Uranus. He rose like the otherworldly being he truly was with a wave of power I had no doubt would echo beyond this realm and the next; there was nothing that would have been able to hold against this attack.

My head snapped back, and in that stretched-out instant, I twisted just enough to glimpse the battlefield refrozen in a slow-motion descent, though now it wasn't at Uranus's command. It was as if time itself was trying to flee his force. My eyes only looked for one, finding Cain as he moved besides Hades; every motion painfully slow, struggling to cut through the crushing weight of this blast. None of us could avoid it. Now, it didn't matter which side you had stood as ally and enemy were all crushed as he fought for his survival and won.

"Nothing that ever happens here will be enough for you to win the war."

I blinked and the world vanished. I didn't know which way was up or down or where I was. Everything went silent only as I opened my eyes, it had never been so clear. I'd lived this moment a million times before and just like then, I had no control over my body. I felt numb, which was almost as terrifying as my inability to move at all, my hand was stretched out in the direction of a female body, female. Blonde hair. I didn't need to see more beyond my limited view of dirt and bloodied skin. Kara.

My fingers wouldn't move, not a twitch or the slightest tap. I looked around, sensing Apollo nearby. Not far out of my reach was a golden arrow. Sand covered my mouth, looking down my other arm shouldn't be able to bend in that shape. Slowly my powers woke up, feeding more and more details into what remained of my mind.

Dirt and hair over my face.

A silver crown painted with blood.

Each of my friends, so close yet so far.

Blueberry?

I didn't need to see; I'd been here too many times already. This scene had already etched itself into my mind, each detail vivid and haunting as the first time I saw Matt's painting. Through the ringing in my ears, fragments of sound started breaking through, muffled, distant, but I know I heard my name with noises the visions never shared. Cain's voice. Scared. Frantic. Desperate.

I am over here!

Suddenly, everything faded to white. Pain, sharp and deadly flooded each and every part of my body. Every nerve protested, reacting with tiny aftershocks in a way I struggled to comprehend every feeling before. I knew pain. The Warlock had ripped me open and had I been aware of just what that had meant? Or when Cronus had managed a similar feat, nearly ending me for the first time on that battlefield? I'd bled out on the steps of the throne room and I'd rather that a million times over this.

Blueberry?

It wasn't only my body that I had no sense of control over, but also the little one within. Could he be there, beyond this pain? Was it only mine or his as well?

Help.

Help us!

No sound left me as I suffered in silence. There wasn't an inch of my body that would do as I wanted. I longed to curl up, comfort myself however I could. Scream. Instead a thousand, tiny, hot needles ran up my spine, a feeling that earned a twitch of a finger - a movement I was so acutely aware of thanks to the new wave of blinding, pure agony that followed before nothing.

I always knew how this would end.

I die.

________________________________

So.... hi.

I made you wait this long for that. Hope you're still here.

Almost at the end now, thank you for your patience and support.