To Hell And Back For You {Chapter 9}

”And we are not alone…”

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     As they made their way through the hallways, Peasley kept a very tight grip on Geno’s hand. To increase their chances of getting to the throne room, the group had split into two smaller groups, and because Peasley had absolutely refused to leave Geno again, they were with Hippolytus and Tychron while Eros had gone another way with the girls.

      In the narrow hallway they were making their way through, they all tried to be as quiet as the could while running, but the echoes of Raphims screeching behind them was getting louder by the second, letting them know that they didn’t have long to keep the peace.

      Suddenly, there was a massive shake of the ground beneath them, making them all grab the wall for .

      “Uhhh, guys? The walls are moving!” Tychron shouted. Sure enough, they could all feel the unwilling push of their feet on the ground towards the other wall, even though they couldn’t see the movement clearly.

      “Run!” Peasley shouted, yanking Geno forward with him. They were already having to go single file down the hallway, but now they were all in a panic as they struggled to escape. The stone beneath them made a horrible freaking noise, but it kept them alert that that they would be pancakes if they didn’t keep moving.

       With a burst of energy, Peasley launched himself forward, pulling Geno along with him, and they both landed hard on the ground, finally in a more open space. Tychron and Hippolytus were right behind them, but they both tripped and landed on top of them.

      “Warn me next time you’re gonna do that…” Geno moaned at the bottom of the pile.

       Peasley grunted put something of an apology, and all four of them had to untangle themselves from each other and then get back to their feet. But the moment they did, Raphims burst out of the walls around them, leaving them entirely surrounded.

       Pulling Geno close to him, Peasley gritted his teeth together as he looked at their situation. “Ah, shit…”

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      As Rhea made her way through the halls with Eros, Alcmene, and Nereus, she could hear the echo of every step she took beneath her. The shaking of the ground made them all worry that the fortress was falling apart, but they kept running in hopes that they could get out in time.

       Suddenly, the ground cracked open in front of them, forcing them all to have to put the brakes on the momentum, and Eros grabbed the back of Nereus’s clothes and yanked her back to prevent her from falling.

      “What the hell is going on?” Rhea yelled.

      “This has to be Selene’s doing. I don’t know how or why, but it has to be something of hers,” Eros said, looking down into the abyss that had just formed in front of them.

      As if on cue, the ground behind them crumbled as well, leaving them trapped on the small piece of foundation they were gathered on. More and more pieces of the ground fell around them, and then for a terrifying second, it felt like they were falling. But they then realized that they were laying on solid ground once again, unhurt.

      “Quite the conundrum, isn’t it?” Came a voice from nearby. The four got to their feet and were met with the piercing gaze of Selene, who was sitting on her throne.

      “I knew that you had to be the one causing all of that,” Eros said as he dusted himself off.

       Selene rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. I had to get you all here somehow,” she said.

       The massive doors then swung open and a group of Raphims swarmed in, throwing Peasley, Geno, Tychron, and Hippolytus onto the stone floor beside the others.

      “Everyone’s here now. Perfect,” Selene mused, sounding pleased.

       The four that had just been thrown in got to their feet to their friends and then prepared themselves to fight. They all knew that they were most likely going to be killed, but none of them were willing to just roll over and die.

      “Making a last stand?” Selene asked.

      “Even if we can’t save ourselves, we’ll protect other worlds from you,” Peasley said as he gripped the handle of his sword, speaking the words that all of the Star Spirits wanted to say.

      Selene chuckled in response to his statement. “Normally, I would find such nobility to be brave. But in this case, I wonder why we should bother fighting when I can reduce this to something much simpler?”

      She snapped her fingers, and suddenly large black vibes sprung up from the ground, constricting everyone except for Geno, who was merely pushed forward by the large roots. In a panic, Geno tried to rush back to his friends, but he was slapped backwards by a vine, which knocked him back to the ground.

       Selene fully laughed at the sight, her witch-like cackles creating a disturbing echo in the large room. “Now we have to things all…wrapped up, wouldn’t you say?”

      Geno quickly got back up and turned to face her, glaring coldly. “Let them go!” he demanded.

       “I will consider letting them go, but that’s only on one condition,” she said as she tapped her fingers on the arm of her throne, “You give yourself up to me.”

      Geno folded his arms and narrowed his eyes, looking entirely unamused but her words. “Give me one reason to believe that you’re actually being serious. I’m not stupid. I’ve seen this kind of promise play out so many times only to never be kept,” he said.

      Selene shrugged somewhat. “I mean, you’re not wrong. I would agree with that whether I was your enemy or your ally, as I’ve seen such failed bargains myself. But I am being serious.”

      “Yeah. Atlas said that too, and he didn’t keep his word,” Geno recalled with something of a huff, “That’s what got him destroyed, and you were his Socium. So why should I assume that you’ll act any differently than him?”

       The mention of Atlas made Selene’s nostrils flare up momentarily, but she quickly relaxed herself. “Let me put it this way,” she said coldly, “You can either reject my offer, ensuring that your friends die instantly followed swiftly by you, or you can accept and actually have a chance that some of your group goes home alive.”

      Geno looked back at his friends, who were still in distress. The vines held them rigidly in place, and any struggle they put forward caused them to constrict, digging thorns into their bodies. But as they were all forced to watch, they all had their eyes on him, worried for and pleading to him wordlessly.

      Not saying anything to them, Geno turned back to Selene, still not convinced by her. “If it was only me you truly wanted all along, why didn’t you let Tychron go when Eros asked? Why did you even take anyone else at all? Even if you wanted me to suffer, you could’ve taken me without altering other Star Spirits that something was amiss.”

      Selene smirked slightly. “Well, I knew for a fact that I wanted precious little Rhea to suffer, since she and her reinforcements are why the battle tides turned so suddenly on the day we fought in your kingdom,” she explained, her eyes narrowing at Rhea, who shrunk back slightly, “But then I ed you actually had your whole little group, and it was just too much fun to make you all suffer together.”

     “Yet now you’re suddenly willing to let them go in a whole group of seven when you wouldn’t even release one person earlier? Forgive me if I’m skeptical of the parameters you’ve set,” Geno said, tapping his fingers against his arm.

       “Let me tell you what’s different now,” Selene said, sitting up on her throne, “Once you’re dead, I’ll have no reason to leave this dimension ever again. I can rule here for the rest of my life in satisfaction and peace. And since the power dynamic is in my favor here, the Star Spirits can’t target me here, so your friends ratting me out would do nothing.”

      “You’re bluffing! Proteus would find a way to stop you!” Eros suddenly shouted out.

       However, Selene shook her head. “While he could easily stop me if I left this dimension, I’m the one at greater strength here while Star Spirits immediately begin to die. He wouldn’t consider it worth the risk.”

      Listening to her words, Geno felt as though he couldn’t breathe. He wanted to argue so badly and say that Eros was right, and that Proteus would find a way to bend the dimensions to his advantage in some way to stop her. But in the pit of his stomach, he knew that Selene was right.

       As powerful as Star Spirits were, they weren’t invincible. Acheron was one of the few places that they couldn’t act freely, and there was no way they would risk going there just for him, someone who wasn’t among their ranks any longer. The loss of one life wasn’t enough of an incentive for them to use such great power.

       Fearfully, he looked back at his friends once again, who had varying expressions ranging from horror to shock to dress. His eyes then focused on Peasley, who was still trying to wriggle his way out of his restraints despite the pain it caused him, which only hurt him more. Peasley was a prince, who had a kingdom that needed him. He wasn’t the only person that loved Peasley, and he wouldn’t drag him to the grave if he didn’t have to.

     “Swear to me, Selene…” he said finally, hanging his head, “Swear to me on the soul of Atlas that you’ll let my friends live and go home if I give myself to you.”

     “Geno, no! You can’t!” Alcmene screamed, tears immediately flooding her eyes, the sadness in her voice making Geno wince in pain internally.

       Selene stood up from her throne, now looking very pleased. “So this is your decision? Your life for theirs?”

      “Only if you swear to me that my friends will live,” Geno confirmed with a nod, his hands clenched into fists.

       Selene nodded her head, her eyes flashing like an elated cat’s. “I swear upon the soul of my Socium that no harm will come to your friends.”

      Geno sighed. “Then I’m yours.”

     “Geno! Don’t do this! You can’t!” shouted Eros, the oldest of the group who had always felt responsible for his friends.

       Geno turned back, barely able to look at their expressions, which shows fear, sadness, and worst of all, betrayal. “I’m sorry, everyone…” he said as he fought back tears, “But I can’t let you all die unnecessarily. I love you all too much to let that happen.”

      “We said we were leaving here together! We’re not leaving without you!” Rhea shouted, though her voice was angry. And Geno understood why. She and some of the others had gone through so much trouble to reach him and the rest, and now he was giving himself up freely, making all of their efforts for naught in a matter of seconds.

      Selene let out a huff. “So interesting to me. How Geno is the one thinking about the bigger picture even though it is no longer his duty,” she said, “Yet in this moment, you’re the ones being selfish, bargaining for one life.”

     “You’re blackmailing him!” Tychron protested with a snarl.

      “I’m winning,” Selene said, a snake-like smile appearing on her face, “Come here, Geno. Come stand with me and accept your fate.”

       Her extended hand looked as youthful as it had even been, but Geno could only see it like that of an old crone’s, as if she were a witch about to curse him. Not like that was much different than facing death at this point.

      Feeling as though his chest was going to implode and crush his heart at any moment, Geno slowly turned away from his friends, looking at Selene and trying not to shake.

      “Geno! Please don’t!” Peasley shouted, the call of his voice making Geno want to sob. However, he ignored him with all the strength he had, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to go through with his decision if he turned back, which would cause his friends to die. Selene curled her finger as if she were calling for a dog, and Geno started making his way towards her.

       Peasley opened his mouth to shout for him again, but was cut off when Hippolytus suddenly kicked him in the leg with force. When he looked over to ask the Star Spirit what his problem was, he noticed something odd. Hippolytus wasn’t frantic.

       Despite the fact that he looked tense and was trembling, Hippolytus hadn’t said a word and looked more like he was anticipating something. Peasley studied his face carefully, knowing that it was impossible for him to not be on the verge of screaming, given that Geno was his Socium. However, he couldn’t interpret anything else from his look.

       Hippolytus caught Peasley’s eye, but Peasley couldn’t understand what he was thinking, especially since his eyes were moving in a way he couldn’t recognize. However, he knew there had to be something that Hippolytus knew that he didn’t if he was acting like this, so he shut his mouth and just watched what was going on, noting the inside of his lip to keep himself quiet.

      Selene’s hand felt ice cold as Geno placed his hand in hers, which wasn’t what he was expecting given the atmosphere of Acheron. She pulled him up the small staircase so that he was right beside her, to the point that they were uncomfortably close.

       “I’m nice,” she whispered, the softness in her voice making Geno want to be nauseous, “I’ll let you have last words with them, so hopefully you choose your words carefully.” She ran her frigid hands along his shoulders as he spoke, making him shudder with disgust.

       Despite that, Geno finally looked at his friends again, taking deep breaths to keep himself controlled. He could do this. He had to. “My friends…” he said shakily, “Please forgive me for bringing these feelings upon you all.”

      Geno’s feet suddenly pivoted and he spun around at lightning speed, his arm moving in a swift and forceful motion. He then jumped back as Selene screamed in pain, and everyone else could see what he had done after a moment. There was now a dagger sticking out of Selene’s chest, right over her heart. Suddenly, black liquid began streaming from her mouth.

      “Wh-What is this?!” she shrieked as she watched it all happen.

      “When I was sleeping in the cell you locked me in, I mediated on my past knowledge about places like this and beings that live in them,” Geno explained as he breathed heavily, “Giving up your Star Spirit powers has left you vulnerable in different ways. And in this case, it’s not magic that can stop you, but a simple mortal weapon.”

      Selene frantically clawed the dagger out of her chest, and a stream of black liquid accompanied it as the blade was yanked out. Just as Geno had said, she wasn’t enough of a Raphim to be saved naturally by the atmosphere of Acheron, but also not enough of a Star Spirit to save herself with her own powers.

       As she crumpled to the floor, the black vines that held Peasley and the Star Spirits , turned to dust, leaving them freed. They were all a little bloody from their attempts to escape, but not terribly wounded. In shock, they continued to watch what was happening, still taking in what they were seeing.

      Before Selene could collapse entirely, Geno caught her and cradled her in his arms so she wouldn’t fall down the stairs. “Let go of me…” she groaned, but she no longer had the strength to stop him from doing anything.

       “Selene…It’s over now,” Geno said softly, “Be with Atlas. Be at peace…”

      He leaned her up against her throne, as she stared back at him blankly, and for just a moment, Geno thought he could see specks of cerulean blue in her eyes one last time.

       “Atlas…” she said weakly with the last of her voice. Geno nodded silently to her, and she then closed her eyes and died.

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AUTHOR’S NOTES: Surprise! Except probably not really to most of you because of course none of the heroes are going to die. But I like working with tension and other elements, so hopefully there’s a purpose you can all find in there anyway.

I promise we’re in the home stretch with this story. It won’t be too much longer until we reach the end. So I hope you can all stick with me until then. Anyways though, that’s all for today! I hope you all enjoyed this. Have a good day and I’ll see you all next time. :hibiscus: :hibiscus: :hibiscus: