I open my eyes to see Helios on his knees. His sword lies shattered beside him, his hand pressed to- My eyes widen, my heart leaping as realisation hits.
His hand is pressed to the fractured mark, now a cracked ring of gold burned into his skin.
Smoke rises from his body, and the light of the sun has forsaken him.
He looks at me, and for the first time, the god looks almost mortal.
“You…” And his voice no longer resonates within my mind. I can hear him just as I would hear anyone… “What are you made of?”
Were the gods once… like us?
I meet his gaze, every muscle trembling, my chest heaving with the effort to stay upright. “Humility, humanity, hope. A mortal who feels it all. Maybe that’s where my strength lies.” He blinks, the light in his eyes dimming as I continue, my voice raw. “When I fight, I don’t fight for glory, or power, or possession. I fight for the ones I care about, the ones who’d bleed for me just the same. That’s something you’ll never understand.”
Silence.
I can barely move as the voice of the Divine Order echoes from above, ethereal and thunderous.“By the divine law, the mark is fractured. The duel is ended. Victory belongs to the sons of Andronikos!”
The barriers collapse. The crowd erupts in a roar that feels a million miles away. I barely hear it, and I fall onto all fours, every muscle screaming.
Theo stands up, limping towards Carter, his gaping wound making me wonder how he’s walking. “Now, why the fuck wasn’t there a cameraman? That was epic.”
Then I hear a sound I haven’t heard in years.
Laughter.
Ares is laughing.
A deep rumble as he gets onto his knees. “For once, I agree with you,” he says breathlessly, clutching his ribs. “But we’re fucking fried, man.”
“I’m alive, if anyone’s wondering.” Renji’s amused but weak voice comes, as I turn and smile weakly at him, managing to get to my feet, but I don’t get far. Stumbling, my knees hit theground, but Renji’s beside me, refusing to allow me to fall.
“We did it,” he says, his eyes sparkling. “We did it. You can rest now,” he murmurs.
My head drops onto his shoulder, and I turn to look at Helios.
He’s still kneeling, golden blood dripping onto the destroyed ground.
Our eyes meet, and I wonder how it feels to hold a grudge for so long…
What stemmed from one woman and love became something he could never let go of…
He looks away, his gaze turning to the dimmed sun in the sky above, and his eyes fill with something that looks close to sorrow.
“The sun,” he murmurs. “... has fallen.”
Reuniting
Sienna
Ahush falls across Solaria as the sun dips in the sky. My heart has been pounding since this duel began, fearing for their lives. No one could die for me; it wasn’t fair.
But they had won. They were incredible, mind-blowing, and utterly amazing. A battle of such calibre was beautiful to witness, too. Extremely intense, but the Westwood brothers were a reckoning, and seeing them in action, it’s one for the history books.
However, seeing them in the state they are in now, my heart bleeds. Hearing the exhaustion in Jayce’s words only makes me feel guiltier. I don’t know how much time has passed on Earth. Maybe a year, I’m not sure, but Jayce looks older. He seems to have mastered new skills with his powers. He’s incredible.
Right now, I want to go down there and heal him, heal them all, but I can’t move until the Divine Order deems it fit. They are still in their spot, looking down into the destroyedarena, their ancient eyes taking in everything from beneath their hoods.
I look across at Heaven and Allie, both of whom are staring down at the battlefield, too.
